Acoustic Evidence of New Sibilants in the Pronunciation of Young Polish Women

2016 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bartlłomiej Czaplicki ◽  
Marzena Żygis ◽  
Daniel Pape ◽  
Luis M. T. Jesus
Keyword(s):  
Acoustic Analysis ◽  
Functional Approach ◽  
Speech Disorder ◽  
Energy Concentration ◽  
Spectral Moments ◽  
Centre Of Gravity ◽  
Acoustic Study ◽  
Spectral Peaks

AbstractWe present the results of an acoustic study showing that the Polish sibilant system is undergoing changes in the speech of young university-educated women. The results based on the acoustic analysis of 16 speakers’ pronunciation, reveal that the new variants of alveolo-palatals are characterised by spectral peaks at higher frequencies and higher centre of gravity values than their Standard Polish counterparts. In addition, spectral moments, spectral slopes and the formants of preceding vowels differentiate the new variants from Standard Polish alveolo-palatals. We provide the rationale for the development of the new variants by referring to (i) a functional approach involving contrast optimisation in the sibilant system, (ii) a sociolinguistic approach that makes use of a sound-symbolic association between energy concentration in higher frequency regions and smallness and (iii) a speech disorder.

scholarly journals Representation of Yorùbá Tones by a Talking Drum: An Acoustic Analysis

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Akinbo
Keyword(s):  
Acoustic Analysis ◽  
Lexical Tones ◽  
Acoustic Study

The present paper proposes an articulatory and acoustic study of the representation of Yorùbá tones in gángan (a talking drum). The video and spectrographic analyses of the data collected from five native drummers in Nigeria show the number of syllables in a word directly corresponds to the number of strikes on the drum membrane. As the talking drum resonates from the strikes, the drummers tightened and loosened the drum membrane to articulate the three tones in Yorùbá. Furthermore, tonal processes such as tone contour formation on the second tone in HL or LH sequences are musically rendered. Based on this evidence, this paper concludes that drummers are able to represent syllables, lexical tones and tonal processes of Yorùbá speech with a talking drum.

Effects of Genioglossal Muscle Advancement on Speech: An Acoustic Study of Vowel Sounds

2005 ◽  
Vol 132 (4) ◽  
pp. 636-640 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimmo Vähätalo ◽  
Juha-Pertti Laaksonen ◽  
Henna Tamminen ◽  
Olli Aaltonen ◽  
Risto-Pekka Happonen
Keyword(s):  
Acoustic Analysis ◽  
Upper Airway ◽  
Study Group ◽  
Vowel Quality ◽  
Acoustic Features ◽  
Vowel Production ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Acoustic Study ◽  
Partial Upper Airway Obstruction

OBJECTIVE: The effects of the genioglossal muscle advancement on phonetic quality of speech were studied analyzing the acoustic features of vowel sounds. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: The study group consisted of 5 men suffering from partial upper airway obstruction during sleep. To prevent tongue base collapse, genioglossal muscle advancement was made with chin osteotomy without hyoid myotomy and suspension. The speech material consisted of 8 vowels produced in sentence context repeated 10 times before the operation, and 10 days and 6 weeks after the operation. The acoustic features of vowels were analyzed. RESULTS: The operation had no significant effects on vowel quality. Only for 2 of the subjects the pitches changed systematically due to the operation. CONCLUSION: According to the acoustic analysis, genioglossal muscle advancement with chin osteotomy has no effects on vowel production. Some short-term changes were observed, but these changes were highly individual. SIGNIFICANCE: The operation seems to have no potential to change vowel production.

Vowel Production in Winnipeg

2006 ◽  
Vol 51 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 127-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Hagiwara
Keyword(s):  
Acoustic Analysis ◽  
American English ◽  
Similar Data ◽  
Low Back ◽  
Canadian English ◽  
Vowel Production ◽  
Acoustic Study ◽  
Vowel Space ◽  
Precise Characterization

AbstractGeneral properties of the Canadian English vowel space are derived from an experimental-acoustic study of vowel production underway in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Comparing the preliminary Winnipeg results with similar data from General American English confirms previously described generalizations for Canadian English: the merger of low-back vowels, the relative retraction of /æ/, and the relative advancement of /u/ and /Ʊ/. However, a similar comparison of the Winnipeg sample with comparable Southern California data disputes the accuracy of the claim that Canadian Shift (Clarke et al. 1995) is a feature of ‘general’ Canadian and Californian English. An acoustic analysis uncovers subtle phonetic distinctions that make possible a more precise characterization of Canadian Raising: rather than only adjusting the height of the nucleus, Winnipeg speakers produce a directional shift in both the nucleus and offglide of the diphthongs /aɪ, aƱ/; this process applies to all three diphthongs (including /oɪ/).

scholarly journals The Effects of Forensically Relevant Face Coverings on the Acoustic Properties of Fricatives

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 40-52
Author(s):  
Julie Saigusa
Keyword(s):  
Standard Deviation ◽  
Physical Environment ◽  
Acoustic Properties ◽  
Spectral Moments ◽  
Voice Identification ◽  
Centre Of Gravity ◽  
Minimal Pairs ◽  
Motorcycle Helmet ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Skewness And Kurtosis

This forensically motivated study investigates the effects of a motorcycle helmet, balaclava, and plastic mask on the acoustics of three English non-sibilant fricatives, /f/, /θ/, and /v/ in two individuals. It examines variation within the individual as an effect of the physical environment. Two speakers recorded a list of minimal pairs in each of the three guises and with no face covering. The results showed that facewear significantly affected fricative intensity and the four spectral moments: centre of gravity, standard deviation, skewness, and kurtosis. The acoustic changes caused by facewear have implications for judging the reliability of earwitnesses’ content recall and voice identification as well as forensic speech scientists’ examination of content and speaker identity in disputed recordings.

Lengthening in Quranic Performance Acoustic Study in Time and Written symbol

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 17
Author(s):  
Alawi Ahmed Al-malgami
Keyword(s):  
Acoustic Analysis ◽  
Movement Time ◽  
Controversial Issue ◽  
Complex Issue ◽  
Linguistic Performance ◽  
Acoustic Study ◽  
Holy Quran ◽  
The Holy Quran ◽  
Scientific Terms ◽  
Acoustic Phenomenon

Lengthening is one of the acoustic phenomena which have left the holy Quran distinguished but it is still a complex issue for many scholars who are concerned with this area of study especially the period of time which means the time of lengthening that depends upon the performance of present reciters and old reciters. This controversial issue resulted in another complex issue. The acoustic phenomenon can't be only expressed theoretically in expressive terms but it should be expressed in scientific terms. Furthermore, the lengthening particularly -the derived lengthening- is considered as another important issue in the field of research. It is a phenomenon that distinguishes the Quranic performance from the casual linguistic performance of Arabic and other languages, so the scholars face the problem of how to write it morphologically or acoustically. This Study aims to measure the period of time to the lengthening during the Quranic recitation through programs and then comparing the results to the estimations of old reciters. It also suggests a scientific expression for the lengthening period of time and paired with digital measure. Then we put an orthographic symbol in order to express lengthening morphologically and acoustically. Actually, this Study uses (Praat Program) for acoustic analysis. This has come in harmony with what was already determined by the old reciters in which the movement of (half Alef sound) needs (25. of a second) whereas the movement of complete Alef sound needs (50. of a second). This Study also has come in harmony with the estimations of of old reciters in the normal lengthening and connected lengthening but not in the Short compulsory lengthening with the four reciters. According to this practical study, the suggested sound is a number added to the long voiced sign that contains lengthening. This number equals the number of movements after dividing the period of time of reciter 's performance according to the movement time which is (25. of one second.

scholarly journals Changing perspectives on /s/ and gender over time in Glasgow

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (s1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane Stuart-Smith
Keyword(s):  
Acoustic Analysis ◽  
Single Point ◽  
Spectral Slope ◽  
Discrete Cosine Transformation ◽  
Place Of Articulation ◽  
Centre Of Gravity ◽  
Acoustic Representation ◽  
And Gender ◽  
First Time ◽  
Over Time

AbstractThis paper considers the relative influence on sociophonetic interpretation of /s/ using “static” and “dynamic” acoustic analysis, where dynamic refers to the use of measures which capture the time-varying nature of segmental acoustics, and static to measures which are taken at a single point, or from an average across the sound (Watson and Harrington 1999, Docherty et al. 2015). Static and dynamic Discrete Cosine Transformation (DCT) analyses of spectral Centre of Gravity (CoG) and spectral Slope measures/trajectories were carried out on gendered productions of /s/ and /ʃ/ for a real- and apparent-time 32 speaker sample of spontaneous Glasgow dialect. Results of static CoG measures, reflecting place of articulation, indicate a reduction of gender differentation over time, such that girls born most recently revert to older vernacular (lower frequency) norms. Adding static spectral Slope, reflecting articulatory constriction, shows a change in gendered differentiation, whereby boys born most recently show a gestural shift. The DCT analysis both confirms the static results and also reveals that dynamic characteristics of both sibilants carry key additional prosodic, linguistic and social information for this community. Our results reflect for the first time the usefulness of changing analytical perspectives on /s/, both in terms of acoustic representation (static and dynamic), but also by considering /s/ alongside its partner sibilant /ʃ/ within the context of shifts in the construction of social gender over time.

An acoustic study of quasi-phonemic vowels in Ampenan Sasak

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Leah Pappas
Keyword(s):  
Fish Species ◽  
Analytical Methods ◽  
Auditory Perception ◽  
Acoustic Analysis ◽  
Language Documentation ◽  
Minimal Pairs ◽  
Acoustic Study ◽  
Descriptive Approach ◽  
Phonemic Status ◽  
Final Syllable

ABSTRACT In a variety of Sasak called Ampenan Sasak in this paper, traditional documentation and analytical methods based on auditory perception reveal allophonic patterns in alternations of height among mid-vowels. High mid-vowels occur in final syllables ending in [ʔ] or no-coda (e.g. [tokoʔ] ‘fish species native to Lombok’) while low mid-vowels occur in final syllables ending in all other consonants (e.g. [tɔkɔl] ‘to sit’). However, words deviate from these patterns in several minimal pairs (e.g. [bəɾəmbok] ‘to discuss’ and [bəɾəmbɔk] ‘to breathe’) and in some borrowings (e.g. [agostos] ‘August’), suggesting a quasi-phonemic status for back mid-vowels; they behave like both phonemes and allophones. This study analyzes the phonetic properties of mid-vowels through an acoustic analysis of the F1 and F2 of 2,448 vowel tokens. Results suggest that mid-vowels are largely predictable among non-borrowed vocabulary. In final syllables, syllable openness serves as a predictor for the height of mid-vowels. In pre-final syllables, syllable openness has no effect on the height of the vowel. Rather, the height of pre-final mid-vowels is predictable based on the height of the final-syllable vowel. In consideration of both elicitation and acoustic evidence, this paper adopts a descriptive approach by stating that Ampenan Sasak back mid-vowels are largely predictable, with some exceptions. Further, the paper questions whether all sounds must be identified as a ‘phoneme’ or an ‘allophone’ and argues that quasi-phonemic segments are a valuable intermediate descriptor for both phonological theory and language documentation.

scholarly journals The Influence of Level of Proficiency in the L2 and L3 on the Production of the L3 Spanish Apico-alveolar Sibilant

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-107
Author(s):  
Jolanta Sypiańska ◽  
Zuzanna Cal
Keyword(s):  
Standard Deviation ◽  
The Other ◽  
Foreign Languages ◽  
Spectral Moments ◽  
Third Language ◽  
Third Language Acquisition ◽  
Centre Of Gravity ◽  
Two Factors ◽  
Different Levels

Current Third Language Acquisition research has traditionally focused on the L2 status (e.g. Hammarberg 2001, Bardel & Falk 2007) or linguistic proximity (e.g. Cenoz 2001, Westergaard, Mitrofanova, Mykhaylyk & Rodina 2016). Limited research has been conducted on the influence of the potentially significant factor of level of proficiency, and particularly where proficiency in both the L2 (Tremblay 2006, Woll 2016) and the L3 (Hammarberg 2001, Wrembel 2010) may be considered as a conditioning factor for the shape of the L3. The aim of the current study was thus to determine the influence of L2 and L3 level of proficiency (L2LoP and L3LoP) and the interaction of the two factors on the production of the L3 Spanish apico-alveolar sibilant in a group of L1 Polish, L2 English and L3 Spanish trilinguals who had different levels of overall proficiency in the two foreign languages. The parameters of the sibilant under analysis were spectral moments: centre of gravity (M1), standard deviation (M2), skewness (M3) and kurtosis (M4) in intervocalic position in two-syllable words with initial stress. The results point to the influential role of both L2LoP and L3LoP as well as their interaction on the production of the L3 Spanish sibilant. When the level of proficiency in one of the languages was low, it allowed the other language with a higher level of proficiency to exert influence on the values of the spectral moments in the L3 sibilant. This interplay of factors furthers the understanding of how levels of proficiency in the L2 and the L3 condition the developing L3.

Weak vowels in modern RP: An acoustic study of happy-tensing and kit/schwa shift

2002 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 211-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Fabricius
Keyword(s):  
Acoustic Analysis ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Research Interest ◽  
Acoustic Study ◽  
Received Pronunciation

Several changes in consonant and vowel pronunciations in younger generations of native speakers of Received Pronunciation (RP) are currently the object of research interest. In order to further an empirically grounded description of changes in RP, the present study examines variation in weak vowels. Patterns of variation in word-final open weak syllables (happy, city) as well as in past and present/plural suffixes (waited, changes) are investigated acoustically in the interview speech of eight young (born in the late 1970s) speakers of modern RP. The data show variation in happy vowels for some speakers according to phonetic environment, a phenomenon which deserves further study. kit/schwa variation in the inflectional suffixes studied here shows a tendency to maintain kit-like values. Overall, the study indicates that acoustic analysis of such weak vowels can provide interesting data on variation.

scholarly journals A produção das fricativas alveolar, ápico-alveolar e palato-alveolar em coda silábica no PB e no PE

2017 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandra Bassi ◽  
Izabel Christine Seara
Keyword(s):  
Common Sense ◽  
Rio De Janeiro ◽  
Acoustic Analysis ◽  
Brazilian Portuguese ◽  
Spectral Peak ◽  
European Portuguese ◽  
Spectral Peaks ◽  
Colonization Process ◽  
Geographic Regions

Neste estudo, são investigadas características acústico-articulatórias da fricativaalveolar [s, z], ápico-alveolar [s, z] e palato-alveolar [S, Z] do português brasileiro e do português europeu, em coda silábica, em dados de informantes nativos de Florianópolis‑SC/BR, Rio de Janeiro-RJ/BR, Erechim-RS/BR, Lisboa/PT, Granjal-Viseu/PT e São Jorge-Açores/PT. É analisada a distribuição das fricativas em coda silábica nos falares das localidades anteriormente citadas, uma vez que é de senso comum que, no português brasileiro, ocorra apenas fricativas alveolares ou palato-alveolares. Os parâmetros investigados foram os picos espectrais das fricativas em questão em confronto com o nível de escolaridade dos informantes. Com base nos resultados, pode-se concluir que o fator escolaridade baixa associado à análise dos valores dos picos espectrais dos segmentos fricativos produzidos no português brasileiro e no português europeu foi crucial para estabelecer uma ligação entre a realização dessas fricativas com o processo de colonização dos pontos geográficos analisados nesta pesquisa.********************************************************************The production of the alveolar, apico-alveolar and post-alveolar fricatives in syllabic coda of BP and EPAbstract: In this study, the acoustic-articulatory characteristics of the alveolar [s, z], apicoalveolar [s, z] and post-alveolar [S, Z] fricatives in syllabic coda of Brazilian and European Portuguese were investigated. Data were supplied by native informants from Florianópolis- SC/BR, Rio de Janeiro-RJ/BR, Erechim-RS/BR, Lisboa/PT, Granjal-Viseu/PT and São Jorge- Azores/PT. Since it is common sense that in Brazilian Portuguese only alveolar or post-alveolar fricatives occur, the distribution of fricatives in syllabic coda in speech samples from the places aforementioned was analyzed. The spectral peaks of the fricatives in relation to informants’ schooling level were the investigated parameters. Based on the present findings, the relation between low schooling and the analysis of spectral peak values of the fricative segments produced in Brazilian and European Portuguese was found crucial for the establishment of alink between the production of these fricatives and the colonization process of the geographic regions included in this research.Keywords: Fricatives; Syllabic coda; Acoustic analysis

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