The phonetic status of [æ] in Twi: A reanalysis

In Akan, [æ] is regarded as an allophone of /a/ and described as “a quality that ranges from a front vowel quality close to [ɛ] in the Asante [Twi] dialect, to a more central quality in the Fante sub-dialects in which it occurs” (Dolphyne, 1988, p. 6–7). In fact, the existence of [æ] appears controversial because while it is believed to be an allophone of /a/ in the Twi dialect (Boadi, 1991; Dolphyne, 2006; O'Keefe, 2003); and in some sub-dialects of Fante (Abakah, 1978; Boadi, 1991; Dolphyne, 2006), recent studies show that [æ] is a phoneme in Fante (Abakah, 2002; Lomotey, 2008). The present study extends the results of Lomotey (2008), in which she suggests that [æ] may not be an allophone of /a/ in Twi, but another realization of [ɪ] or [e] (p>0.05). Results of acoustic analysis (duration, F1, F2) of words with [ɪ], [e] and [æ] in Twi showed similarity with Lomotey (2008). Based on the results, I argue that [æ] may be undergoing or has undergone vowel raising or merger (if it ever exists/existed). I also argue that if it exists in Twi, then it might be represented with a different vowel symbol, and not [æ].