The vowels of Bari

A comparison between local dialect and regional Italian

Abstract

In the mid-70s, the stressed vowel system of Barese displayed 7 phonemes, with an endangered opposition between mid-high and mid-low vowels, which occurred only in open syllable in non-metaphonetic contexts. The corresponding regional Italian already had 5 phonemes, mid-high and mid-low vowels being allophones of /e/ und /o/ respectively in open and closed syllables. According to our analysis, based on data collected in 2014 and grouped by gender, age and residence (inhabitants of Bari vs. migrants), the opposition is now completely disappeared. Moreover, innovative speakers show a generalized lowering (higher F1 values) of regional Italian vowels. Young females, the group supposed to be more sensitive to innovation, exhibit the same pattern even in Barese.