Gravitational phonetics:

This paper presents a method to quantify consonant-to-vowel coarticulation using Eastern Andalusian Spanish as an example. Various features of /i/, /a/, and /u/ are analysed acoustically in isolation, and before and after each Spanish consonant in symmetrical /VˈCV/ sequences. Six speakers and 2766 vowels are analysed with linear mixed models to quantify consonant-to-vowel coarticulation. These data allow us to devise a gravitational phonetic index which captures the amount of change each consonant exerts on adjacent vowels. This index can help put consonants in order according to the intensity of changes each causes on neighbouring vowels. The scale presented for Eastern Andalusian Spanish is in line with previous findings in coarticulatory studies for other languages.