c12. A perceptual Bridge Between Coronal and Dorsal /r/

12.1 Introduction

Phonetic variation of rhotics /r/ in Swedish dialects:
(1).front(coronal)/r/
(2).back(dorsal)/r/

Region of back /r/ :
western European
English
Italian
Czech
Estonian
working-class varieties of rural communities


The complementary distribution between [R] and [r] in southern Swedish dialects:
/r/: back only in intitial postion , after a short stressed vowel

Front and back /r/ have provided a basis for lexcal contrast in Occitan

Why would [r] change into [R] (or vice versa)?
How does sound change begin?

Purpose :
(1)to establish an articulary-acoustic reference for /r/ types
(2)to evaluate the articulatory-acoustic relationship
(3)to synthesize an /r/ continuum situated in the F2-F3 area in question