This study examines the vowels /ɪ/ as in tin and /ɛ/ as in ten in African American English (AAE) and Standard American English (SAE) spoken in the Detroit, Michigan area. I first analyzed the acoustic properties of a number of speech samples to determine vowel quality and duration measurements. I then performed speech perception tests using the same speech samples. My analyses support and contradict claims about AAE and SAE, particularly with respect to speaker participation in vowel shifts such as the Northern Cities Shift (NCS), Southern Shift (SS), and pin-pen merger. My investigation of AAE and SAE vowels also showed discrepancies between acoustic characteristics and the perception of the target vowels. My thesis contributes to the exploration of the broader connection between acoustic properties and speech perception as well as to the study of the space where linguistic research intersects with human social interactions.
","abstract_html":"<p>This study examines the vowels /ɪ/ as in tin and /ɛ/ as in ten in African American English (AAE) and Standard American English (SAE) spoken in the Detroit, Michigan area. I first analyzed the acoustic properties of a number of speech samples to determine vowel quality and duration measurements. I then performed speech perception tests using the same speech samples. My analyses support and contradict claims about AAE and SAE, particularly with respect to speaker participation in vowel shifts such as the Northern Cities Shift (NCS), Southern Shift (SS), and pin-pen merger. My investigation of AAE and SAE vowels also showed discrepancies between acoustic characteristics and the perception of the target vowels. My thesis contributes to the exploration of the broader connection between acoustic properties and speech perception as well as to the study of the space where linguistic research intersects with human social interactions.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Stefanski, Lindsay"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts (MA)","degree_level":"Open Access Thesis","degree_discipline":"English Language and Literature","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Beverley Goodman","T. Daniel Seely"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2015,"date_issued":"2015-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2015-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:17:27Z","subjects":["African American English","Education","Language","Perception","Vowels","Arts and Humanities","English Language and Literature"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://commons.emich.edu/theses/873","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Beverley Goodman","T. Daniel Seely"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Stefanski, Lindsay"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2018-03-15T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["English Language and Literature"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Open Access Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts (MA)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["African American English","Education","Language","Perception","Vowels","Arts and Humanities","English Language and Literature"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/873"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This study examines the vowels /ɪ/ as in tin and /ɛ/ as in ten in African American English (AAE) and Standard American English (SAE) spoken in the Detroit, Michigan area. I first analyzed the acoustic properties of a number of speech samples to determine vowel quality and duration measurements. I then performed speech perception tests using the same speech samples. My analyses support and contradict claims about AAE and SAE, particularly with respect to speaker participation in vowel shifts such as the Northern Cities Shift (NCS), Southern Shift (SS), and pin-pen merger. My investigation of AAE and SAE vowels also showed discrepancies between acoustic characteristics and the perception of the target vowels. My thesis contributes to the exploration of the broader connection between acoustic properties and speech perception as well as to the study of the space where linguistic research intersects with human social interactions.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["A study of vowels /ɛ/ and /ɪ/ in African American English and standard American English"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Beverley Goodman","T. Daniel Seely"],"dc:creator":["Stefanski, Lindsay"],"dc:date.available":["2018-03-15T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["This study examines the vowels /ɪ/ as in tin and /ɛ/ as in ten in African American English (AAE) and Standard American English (SAE) spoken in the Detroit, Michigan area. I first analyzed the acoustic properties of a number of speech samples to determine vowel quality and duration measurements. I then performed speech perception tests using the same speech samples. My analyses support and contradict claims about AAE and SAE, particularly with respect to speaker participation in vowel shifts such as the Northern Cities Shift (NCS), Southern Shift (SS), and pin-pen merger. My investigation of AAE and SAE vowels also showed discrepancies between acoustic characteristics and the perception of the target vowels. My thesis contributes to the exploration of the broader connection between acoustic properties and speech perception as well as to the study of the space where linguistic research intersects with human social interactions.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/873"],"dc:subject":["African American English","Education","Language","Perception","Vowels","Arts and Humanities","English Language and Literature"],"dc:title":["A study of vowels /ɛ/ and /ɪ/ in African American English and standard American English"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["English Language and Literature"],"thesis:degree_level":["Open Access Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts (MA)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:17:27Z"}