Rhythm in Maltese English

There is evidence to suggest that rhythm may be a key element in the identifica-
tion of Maltese English, MaltE. A number of characteristics at different levels of
structure have been noted in research on this variety. These include a number of
phonetic and/or phonological features, some of which may combine to trigger the
perception of a pronunciation which is identifiably MaltE. Amongst these features,
examining aspects of duration and/or timing has been shown to be a worthwhile
starting point in understanding the nature of the rhythm of MaltE. Such elements
include, but may not be limited to, the preference for full over reduced vowels, the
tendency to production of post-vocalic ‘r’, and gemination of consonants (Calleja
1987; Vella 1995; Debrincat 1999; Grech 2015). It has been pointed out in research to
date (Arvaniti 2009; 2012; Nokes & Hay 2012), that while durational characteristics
cannot be assumed to be entirely responsible for different rhythm patterns, they
remain pivotal, together with features including pitch, or intensity, in the percep-
tion of patterns of prominence which collectively could be referred to as rhythm.
Following previous research by Grech (2015) and Grech & Vella (2015), there are
indications that a Pairwise Variability Index (Grabe & Low 2002) can capture as-
pects of vowel duration and timing which can, in turn, translate into some measure
of lesser or greater degrees of identifiability of this variety of English. This paper
therefore reports on a study carried out using a normalised Pairwise Variability
Index, nPVI, to measure local patterns of variability in vowel duration, as an indi-
cator of rhythm patterns in 6 MaltE speakers. These speakers were rated in an ear-
lier study (Grech 2015) as representing different degrees of identifiability as MaltE
speakers on a continuum of variation. The extent of identifiability of these speak-
ers is correlated to the nPVI results obtained in an attempt at addressing the matter
of the extent to which rhythm characteristics may trigger listener perceptions of
this variety.