Rhythmic Contrast in Marathi English and Telugu English

Speakers are usually able to discriminate between different rhythmic patterns (Fuchs, Speech rhythm in varieties of English, Springer, 2016; Pettorino and Pettorino, %V and VtoV: an acoustic perceptual approach to the rhythmic classification of languages, Il Torcoliere, 2016). This study focuses on an Indian diasporic community situated in Heidelberg, Germany, where subtle differences in L2 phonological characteristics may index locally situated ethnic identities. In order to ascertain whether rhythmic properties have salience for the community, the present paper presents findings on how acoustically measurable rhythm varies across regional varieties of Indian English. Rhythmic measurements based on two acoustic perceptual parameters (%V and VtoV) were carried out on a one-minute passage read by five speakers of educated Marathi English and Telugu English. Results were then compared with educated London English. They indicate that Telugu English is more syllable-timed than Marathi English.