AN ARTICULATORY-PERCEPTUAL ACCOUNT OF VOCALIZATION AND ELISION OF DARK-[L] IN THE ROMANCE-LANGUAGES

This investigation seeks to understand the factors causing vocalizatio n and elision of dark /1/ in the Romance languages. Contrary to articu latory and perceptual-based arguments in the literature it is claimed that preconsonantal vocalization conveys the phonemic categorization o f the /w/-like formant transitions generated by the tongue dorsum retr action gesture (in a similar fashion to other processes such as /Vjn/ > /Vjn/). The evolution /Vw1C/ > /VwC/ may be explained using articula tory and perceptual arguments. A dissimilatory perceptual mechanism is required in order to account for a much higher frequency of vocalizat ions before dentals and alveolars than before labials and velars in th e Romance languages. Through this process listeners assign the gravity property of dark /1/ to a following grave labial or velar consonant b ut not so to a following acute dental or alveolar consonant in spite o f the alveolar lateral being equally dark (i.e., grave) in the three c onsonantal environments. Other articulatory facts appear to play a rol e in the vocalization of final /1/ (i.e., the occurrence of closure af ter voicing has ceased) and of geminate /11/ (i.e., its being darker t han non-geminate /1/). The elision of dark /1/ may occur preconsonanta lly and word finally either after vocalization has applied or not. Thi s study illustrates the multiple causal Factors and the articulatory-p erceptual nature of sound change processes.