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Perceptual distinctiveness explains the asymmetric adaptation of French liquids (l, r) into Haitian

What is it about?

Haitian is a French-based creole and its lexicon largely consists of borrowings from 17th-18th French. However, not all words were borrowed faithfully: in particular, words ending with [r] or including an [r] before a consonant were systematically adapted without the [r]. This paper provides experimental support for the hypothesis that perceptual factors explain the loss of [r] in these words, i.e. [r] is less perceptible in French in the positions where it was lost in Haitian.

Why is it important?

The findings reported in this paper strongly suggest that perception plays an important role in the adaptation of sound patterns in creole languages.

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The following have contributed to this page:
Benjamin Storme
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