Register in Mah Meri: A preliminary phonetic analysis

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a first phonetic investigation of register in Mah Meri, a Southern Aslian language spoken in Peninsular Malaysia, and part of the larger Austroasiatic family spread throughout South and Southeast Asia. Voice register, a complex of laryngeal and supralaryngeal properties, is a common areal feature amongst members of the Austroasiatic family (particularly the Mon-Khmer group) but has never previously been reported to occur in an Aslian language. We consider general spectral appearance, duration and f0 in order to see how well they correlate with perceived differences in register.