This paper compares the acoustic properties of lateral consonants in two syllable positions in four languages – Russian, English, Romanian, and Georgian – each one representative of a distinct allophonic pattern. This study is also the first production study of Georgian lateral allophony including data from multiple speakers. By relying on both static formant measurements and dynamic analyses of formant trajectories, the study provides deeper insights into the role of syllable position and of vowel context in shaping lateral variation cross-linguistically. The results highlight differences in the production of laterals in two ways: they capture the gradience of the ‘dark’/‘light’ lateral variation across the four languages, and they contribute to our understanding of how intrinsic and extrinsic factors interact in lateral consonant production. The findings contribute to the growing body of research on lateral allophony. They underscore the importance of integrating dynamic methods, and of including less well studied languages.
