The distribution of syneresis and dieresis in contemporary French: Testing a methodological tool to identify patterns across varieties

Abstract

In French, the close vowels [i, y, u] are subject to alternation with the glides [j, ɥ, w] in given contexts, e.g. [myɛt] ∼ [mɥɛt] ‘muteFEM’ and [sye] ∼ [sɥe] ‘sweatINF’. Factors that have proven decisive for the selection of a variant are e.g. the inherent sonority of the vowel, its position in the word, and its left segmental context (see e.g. Côté, 2018; Klein, 1991; Lyche, 1979). Also, the presence of a morphological boundary next to the relevant segment, e.g. /sy+e/ ‘sweatINF’, is found to play a role.

Having served as testing ground for various theoretical approaches, three aspects in particular revive the discussion on a regular basis: (i) the position of the glides in the syllable structure, (ii) the nature of the process, and (iii) the nature of the glides themselves (see e.g. Côté, 2018; Durand & Lyche, 1999; Kaye & Lowenstamm, 1984; Schane, 1968). Presently, with access to large datasets, we are better equipped to revisit these different theoretical claims. Further, we are in a position to reveal inter-regional similarities and differences, hitherto not done in any rigorous fashion (see however Kelly, 2015).

Andreassen and Racine (2019) focused on Swiss French varieties using elicited speech data from the PFC corpus (www.projet-pfc.net), and they observed a certain level of inter-variety variation, with – as hypothesized – a somewhat stronger presence of syneresis in the urban area closer to the French border. This paper takes the study on step further by examining comparable PFC data from different dialectal zones in the Francophone world, i.e. Canada, Switzerland, and Northern vs. Southern France. Applying a coding system under development on a selection of conversational data, we first and foremost aim at identifying the relative strength of the conditioning factors, which in turn may guide us in a deeper methodological and theoretical discussion. We secondly aim at revealing patterns – or the absence thereof – across varieties, which in turn may allow a better understanding of the dynamics of the various regional systems.