L-vocalization

In linguistics, l-vocalization is a process by which an /l/ sound (a lateral consonant) is replaced by a vowel or semivowel sound. This happens most often to the velarized alveolar lateral approximant [ɫ].

L-vocalization in English

L-vocalization is a notable feature of certain dialects of English, including Cockney and Estuary English, in which an /l/ sound occurring at the end of a word or before a consonant is replaced with a vowel sound, variously transcribed [o], [ʊ] or [w] resulting in pronunciations such as [mɪok], for milk, and [ˈmɪdo], for middle.

Especially in Cockney, l-vocalization can be accompanied by phonemic mergers of vowels before the vocalized /l/. For example, real, reel and rill, which are distinct in Received Pronunciation, are homophones in Cockney as [ɹɪo].

In the accent of Bristol, syllabic /l/ vocalized to /o/, resulting in pronunciations like /ˈbɒto/ (for bottle). By hypercorrection, however, some words originally ending in /o/ had this sound replaced by syllabic /l/: the original name of the town was Bristow, but this has been altered by hypercorrection to Bristol.

In the United States, the dark L in African-American Vernacular English may change to an o, w, or be omitted altogether (i.e. fool becomes [fu], cereal becomes [ˈsiɹio]).

L-vocalization in other languages

• In early 15th century Middle Scots /al/ (except intervocalically and before /d/), /ol/ and often /ul/ changed to /au/, /ou/ and /uː/. For example all changed to aw, hald to haud (hold), colt to cowt, ful to fou (full).
• In Dutch, the combinations old ('old') and olt ('out') changed to oud and out during the Middle Ages.
• In Brazilian Portuguese, /l/ in the syllable coda position becomes the semivowel [u̯]. For example, the words mau (bad) and mal (badly) are both pronounced [mau̯].
• In Polish, Sorbian languages and Ukrainian (at the end of a closed syllable), historical /ɫ/ has become /w/. For example, the word for "small" in both Polish and Sorbian is mały, pronounced /ˈmawɨ/, the Ukrainian word for "wolf" is вовк /ʋowk/ (cf. Russian малый [ˈmaɫɨj], вoлк [voɫk]). As of the early 2000s, /ɫ/ can still be used by some speakers of eastern Polish dialects, especially in Belarus and Lithuania.
• In Serbo-Croatian, a historical /l/ in coda position has become /o/ and is now so spelled. For example, the Serbo-Croatian name of Belgrade is Beograd.
• In Austro-Bavarian, the etymological /l/ is vocalised, only after front vowels, into i or y, e.g. vui corresponding with High German viel ("much").
• In Bernese German, a historical /l/ in coda position has become [w], a historical /lː/ (only occurring intervocalically) has become /wː/, whereas intervocalic /l/ persists. The absence of vocalization was one of the distinctive features of the upper class variety which is not much spoken anymore. For example, the German name of the city of Biel is pronounced [ˈb̥iə̯w].
• In Bulgarian, young people often pronounce the [ɫ] of the standard language as [w] or [o], especially in an informal context. For example, pronunciations which could be transcribed as [maʊ̯ko] or [mao̯ko] occurs instead of standard [maɫko] ("a little"). Unlike the historical sound changes listed above, this is an example of a synchronic variation between speakers that might not result in a sound change in the long run.

References

• Labov, William, Sharon Ash, and Charles Boberg. 2006. The Atlas of North American English. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. ISBN 3-11-016746-8.

External links

• Transcribing Estuary English, by J. C. Wells - discusses the phonetics of l-vocalization in Estuary English and Cockney.
• L-vocalisations in Estuary English