Vowel Epenthesis as a Modification Strategy used by Pahari ESL learners: An Acoustic Study

Abstract

This study aims to present a comprehensive acoustic study of epenthesis as a
modification or simplification strategy used by Pahari ESL learners. The data are
collected from ten participants by providing a list of English words containing
a different combination of manner and place of articulation at onset and coda
positions. Praat software is used for the acoustic analysis of the data. The study
shows that Pahari learners use anaptyxis, or split pattern including insertion of
/ɪ/, /e/, /ə/ and /ʊ/ at onset and coda positions while dealing with clusters which
are not found in their language. In Pahari, /bl/, /kl/, /kr/, /gr/ clusters are present
at onset position, but the learners face problem in pronunciation of these
clusters. Similarly, some clusters are not found in Pahari, but learners
pronounce them easily. The factors that affect English acquisition of clusters by
Pahari learners can be explored in future research.