ARTICULATORY FEATURES OF THE /I/-TYPE VOWELS IN THE ALTAI-KIZHI DIALECT (MRI DATA)
The paper considers some articulatory features of allophones of the vowel /i/ in the Altai-Kizhi dialect (spoken in the locality Ust-Kan, Altai) of the Altai language visualized by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The Altai-Kizhi is the central basic dialect of the Altai literary language. In Altai, each rural locality represents a unique dialect, whose relevance of studying was emphasized by V. V. Radlov. Speech sounds of the /i/-type in the dialects of the Altai language are realized mainly as front variants with different degrees of openness. In the written Altai speech, the symbol “и” is used to denote narrow front non-labialized vowel; some variants of the Altai vowel /i/ are central-back differing in this from the Russian vowel /i/. Experimental data on the territorial dialects of the Altai-Kizhi dialect, obtained from its 6 native speakers (d1-d6) taking into account variable inherent palate height, shows both the common articulation bases of native speakers (clearly-expressed frontness) and their differences (variable openness).