A Sociophonetic Analysis of Diphthongs and Hiatus in Schoolchildren

This paper investigates the production of Italian stressed vowels and vowel clusters (diphthongs and hiatus) in 40 schoolchildren (8-10 years old) from the Biella area in northwest Italy. Given the high degree of variation in vowel clusters and the limited research on Italian children, the primary aim of this study is to explore the acoustic differences between off-glides, on-glides, hiatus, and stressed vowels. Additionally, we examine the sociophonetic effects of internal migration in the Biellese area post-World War II. In our analysis, we considered the migratory background of the children’s families. Results revealed partial linguistic accommodation and a homogeneous phonetic vowel system among different immigrant groups. Notably, differences were observed in the production of vowels between female and male children, particularly in the F1 values. This finding suggests that sociolinguistic differences between sexes emerge at a young age. Consistent with previous literature, we found differences in the production of diphthongs, hiatus, and stressed vowels. Specifically, on-glides and off-glides were realized with a greater degree of constriction, and the production of hiatus exhibited characteristics of hyper-articulated speech.