'Method in the madness?': VOT in Singaporean native languages and English

Abstract

The current study investigates the realisation of Voice Onset Time (VOT) for oral stops in the Singaporean context. The relations between VOT of the stops and the phonological stop inventories of the five native languages of Singapore-- Mandarin, Hokkien, Cantonese, Malay and Tamil-- are documented. Measures of VOT of stops by speakers of these five languages and the corresponding Singapore English (SE) varieties suggest both substrate influences and the presence of a pan-SE normalising force in the production of SE. The patterns of VOT distribution are certainly rule-governed, though not always transparent and straightforward. Our understanding of English varieties in complex contact areas, such as Singapore, is enriched by the consideration of substrate and normalising factors.