Data Sets

Brunei

ASEAN

Nigerian + Bruneian : 868

S1 = Bruneian female
S3 = Nigerian male

Context : S3 is talking about education in his country, particularly the selection of students for university.

S3 : ... each base on four hundred (.) one hundred percent (.) so after they finish that exam (.) the cut off will out (.) so each university (.) they have your name already (.) they will <1> now look at the cut </1>

S1: <1> oh okay: </1>

S3 : they will now look at the cut off

Intended Words: the cut off will out

Heard as: they got of way out

Discussion: There is little aspiration on the [k] in cut (VOT = 31 msec), and the vowel in cut is identical to that in off, which explains why it is heard as got instead of cut.

In addition, the [l] at the end of will is pronounced as an approximant [j] rather than the linking [l] that might be expected in the middle of will out, and this is why S1 transcribed it as way out.

One might note that S1 did not seem to have a problem with cut off when it is said again at the end of the extract. It is possible that the omission of a main verb (such as be) in the cut will out may have contributed to the problem.