<p> This study set out to explore and investigate the effects of age and gender on Voice Onset Time (VOT) in Abha Arabic dialect. VOT is "the time interval between the burst that makes the release of the stop closure and the onset of periodicity that reflects laryngeal vibration" (Lisker and Abrahamson, 1964, p.422). Three research questions were asked: (1) what are the normative patterns for VOTs by children and adults in Abha dialect? (2) Are there any gender or age differences in the productions of VOTs by native Abha Arabic dialect speakers? (3) At what age do children fully acquire VOTs that are similar to those of adults in Abha dialect? Thirty-eight subjects were recruited including children and adults from both genders, who were asked to complete a picture-naming task. The results revealed that the plosives in Abha Arabic utilize three conditions of VOTs depending on their voicing and emphasis. Whereas the voiced plosives are produced with lead voicing, the voiceless plosives are produced with long-lag. The emphatic stop is produced with short-lag. Also, the results showed that age and gender affected that can affect the VOTs significantly. Lastly, the results indicated that children achieved adult-like VOTs at age 10 to 12 years old.</p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PROQUEST/oai:pqdtoai.proquest.com:10252690 |
| Date | 18 February 2017 |
| Creators | Al Malwi, Ibrahim M. |
| Publisher | California State University, Long Beach |
| Source Sets | ProQuest.com |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | thesis |
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