Articulatory characterisation of length contrasts in Australian English vowels

Australian English vowel length contrasts have been explored in the acoustic domain, however the articulatory properties of vowel length in Australian English remain under-researched. This study explored and compared key articulatory properties of long and short vowels in Australian English using Electromagnetic Articulography (EMA). Articulatory data of three long-short vowel pairs in three consonant contexts were analysed from seven Australian English speakers. Gestural durations, articulatory targets, and kinematic properties were measured and compared across long and short vowels. Short vowels were characterised by shorter gestural durations and more centralised articulatory targets than their long equivalents. Short vowels were also characterised by a proportionately shorter period of articulatory stability and proportionately longer articulatory transitions to surrounding consonants than long vowels. This study provides a preliminary characterisation of the articulatory properties of long-short vowel pairs in Australian English and highlights methodological and theoretical considerations for future research examining vowel articulation and articulatory-acoustic relationships in vowel production.