Southeastern phonology: consonants L

London and Southeastern accents have variable L vocalization in post-vocalic positions (as in mill, milk), but instances of vocalization of /l/ in pre-vocalic position across word boundaries (as in roll up, peel it) have been reported by, for example, Wells (1982: 313) and Kerswill (1996: 199) in the local accents of London and Reading respectively.

The phonetic quality of the resulting pronunciation is variable and phonetic representations of it vary a great deal. Gimson (1984: 202), for instance, transcribes the resulting vocoid as alternating between [ö] and , while Wells (1995: 263) indicates a range between  , [o],   and [u].

Another intricacy of the process of vocalization is its impact on the preceding vowel. One of the most common allophonic effects is neutralization. The vowels in meal and pool, for example, are lowered to such an extent that they become (almost) homophonous with mill and pull. Whether they can still be distinguished by length is a matter of some uncertainty. The precise workings of these processes are rather complex.

Another consequence of the process of vocalization might be the rise of new diphthongs consisting of the preceding vowel and the resulting vocalized variant. Like R dropping, L vocalization may lead to a re-organization of the vowel system. According to Wells (1982: 259), it “offers the prospect of eventual phonemic status for new diphthongs such as  (milk),  (shelf), etc.”.

Like T glottaling, L vocalization is spreading regionally, so far mostly within the Southeast, and socially to higher social classes. In London, Kent and Essex, it is already very frequent, almost categorical, in the accents of young middle-class speakers.