Articulatory characterization of English liquid-final rimes

•Rhotics showed less allophonic variation across syllable positions than laterals.•Laterals exhibited greater independence between gestures than rhotics.•Rhotics showed greater degree of coarticulatory resistance to vowel context.•Rhotics showed greater degree of coarticulatory influence on tautosyllabic vowels.•Vowels were more influenced by coda rhotics than onset rhotics or laterals.