This paper shows that the Liverpool English dorsal fricative, derived through the lenition of /k/, is subject to place of articulation assimilation, driven by the preceding vowel. This is similar to the vowel-driven aspects of typical perseverative Dorsal Fricative Assimilation (a type of palatalisation), as found, for example, in the German ich-Laut~ach-Laut alternation, where (among other things) a preceding front high or mid vowel is followed by the front dorsal [ç], and other vowels are followed by a back dorsal. However, the majority Liverpool English pattern differs from previously described cases of Dorsal Fricative Assimilation in that [ç] only occurs following long front high vowels, while a back dorsal remains after their short congeners. This type of quantity-sensitive pattern in assimilation has not been reported before. We use Centre of Gravity measurements to investigate this pattern of place assimilation, and argue for the use of an innovative normalisation technique for consonant measurements, based on measurements of /k/ aspiration in a linear regression model. We thus both expand the taxonomy of what is known to be possible in phonology and also provide new detail in the description of Liverpool English (including a proposal for the featural analysis of its vowel system).

本文表明，利物浦英语的背擦音，源自 /k/ 的后缀，受前一个元音驱动的发音位置同化的影响。这类似于典型的持续背擦音同化（一种颚化）的元音驱动方面，例如在德语ich-Laut~ach-Laut交替中发现的，其中（除其他外）前高音或中元音后接前背音 [ç]，其他元音后接后背音。然而，大多数利物浦英语模式与之前描述的背擦音同化案例不同，因为 [ç] 只出现在长前高元音，而后背在它们的短同系物之后保留。这种同化中的数量敏感模式以前没有报道过。我们使用重心测量来研究这种地方同化模式，并主张使用一种创新的标准化技术进行辅音测量，基于线性回归模型中 /k/ 吸入的测量。因此，我们既扩展了音韵学中已知可能的分类，也为利物浦英语的描述提供了新的细节（包括对其元音系统的特征分析的提议）。