Although several researchers have noted unusual phonetic realizations of s, there is little detailed documentation of such variation. This study investigates the use of a fronted variant of s in the speech of Auckland, New Zealand, residents. The results report on the findings from a rapid survey that elicits tokens of s in word-final position in the speech of 638 Pakeha (New Zealand European) speakers. The findings provide evidence of both a fronted and nonfronted variant of s in this community. The findings also show systematic variation on the basis of age, gender, and occupation, with the fronted variant preferred by younger speakers, professional females, and males in clerical jobs.
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