Merger Reversal in St. Louis: Implementation and Implications. (March 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Duncan, Daniel
• Is Part Of: Journal of English linguistics. Volume 50:Number 1(2022)
• Page Start: 72
• Page End: 105
• Publication Date: 2022-03
• Subjects: mergers -- merger reversal -- St. Louis -- perceptual salience -- pre-rhotic vowels; English language -- Periodicals; 420.5
• DOI: 10.1177/00754242221083648
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0075-4242

Abstract

While examples have been clearly attested in the literature, the reversal of a merger is an uncommon occurrence that apparently contradicts principles underlying sound change. Understanding the implications of merger reversal therefore requires understanding of their implementation: whether there was a full merger in the first place, what the phonetic path taken to separate the merger was, and whether there was a social motivation behind the reversal. I take this approach in a case study of the traditionalstart -north merger of St. Louis English, which has reversed in recent decades. I show that the merger was most likely a near merger, that the reversal was achieved by raisingnorth and frontingstart, and that the reversal, at least the raising ofnorth, was socially motivated. I argue that the data highlights the role of perceptual salience in reversing mergers and illustrates that merger reversal can at times be chain shift-like in appearance, if not execution.