Abstract
This paper is an articulatory study of the er-suffixation (a.k.a. erhua) in Southwestern Mandarin (SWM), using co-registered EMA and ultrasound. Data from two female speakers in their twenties were analyzed and discussed. Our recording materials contain unsuffixed stems, er-suffixed forms and the rhotic schwa /d/, a phonemic vowel in its own right. Results suggest that the er-suffixation in SWM involves suffixing a rhotic schwa [d] to the stem, unlike its counterpart in Beijing and Northeastern Mandarin [5]. Specifically, an entire rime will be replaced with the er-suffix if the nucleus vowel is non-high; only high vocoids will be preserved after the er-suffixation. The “rhoticity” is primarily realized as a bunched tongue shape configuration (i.e. a domed tongue body), while the Tongue Tip gesture plays a more limited role in SWM. A phonological analysis is accordingly proposed for the er-suffixation in SWM.