VOWELS IN STANDARD AUSTRIAN GERMAN - Acoustics ...

Therefore, it can be observed that
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Vowels in Standard Austrian German
� in spontaneous speech, the speaker exhibits a higher articulatory precision
with respect to clear cut segment boundaries,
� in repeating utterances, the speaker exhibits the highest precision when it
can be assumed that attention is already lower.
� Moreover, the first two items of “ntene”, produced in the repeating
sentence task, display the application of processes which are not allowed
in the spontaneous speech of the language (deletion of /n#t/ and /n#/).
Process application takes place contrary to phonological, socio-, and psycho-
phonological observations: in the most formal task, the repeating sentences task, the
speaker applies more reduction processes than in the less formal task (spontaneous
speech). He applies more reduction processes when attention is high as compared to a
situation when attention is already low.
It is especially the lack of consistency in the production of the utterances which
points to articulatory avoidance. Since the target is very imprecisely defined as “only
depart from the neutral vocal tract configuration as much as is absolutely necessary to
give the impression of a properly pronounced segment”, such an imprecisely defined
target is constantly missed. This results in inconsistent and arbitrary application and
suppression of phonological and phonetic processes, which are in the discussed
example:
� deletion of segments which are not allowed to be deleted in the language
and
� indefinable vowel quality in the first item.
The discussed cases of undershoot show that undershoot is not something that happens
unnoticed in “normal” speech production, but that it is perceived both by the speaker
and by the listener. There are many more cases where undershoot can happen to a
speaker (extreme tiredness, unattentiveness, drunkenness or being under the influence of