Acoustic Spectrographic Analysis of The Trill Consonant /r/ In the Melaka Dialect

Abstract

This acoustic phonetic study examines the pronunciation of the trill consonant /r/ in the Melaka dialect. Fieldwork was conducted in Kampung Jalan Pulau, Melaka Tengah, where respondents pronounced 12 lexical items containing /r/ in word-initial, medial, and final positions. Respondents, comprising native Melaka dialect speakers aged 55 and older, were selected based on specific sociolinguistic criteria. The collected data were compared with Standard Malay pronunciations utilizing PRAAT software for spectral frequency analysis. Findings empirically demonstrate that variations in /r/ pronunciation occur across all word positions initial, medial, and final rather than being isolated strictly to word-final positions. Four primary phonological processes underlying these variations were identified: substitution, gliding, deletion, and coalescence. Furthermore, the study reveals that the word-final /r/ undergoes not only gliding but also a coalescence process influenced by the preceding vowel. In conclusion, this acoustic phonetic approach using PRAAT successfully uncovers comprehensive insights into the /r/ pronunciation variants within the structural phonology of the Melaka dialect.