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Abstract
This paper examines the phonetic correlates of the (phonological) vowel length contrast in Kyrgyz to address a range of questions about the nature of this contrast, and also explores factors that affect (phonetic) duration in short vowels. Measurement and analysis of the vowels confirms that there is indeed a significant duration distinction between the Kyrgyz vowel categories referred to as short and long vowels. Preliminary midpoint formant measurements show that there may be some accompanying spectral component to the length contrast for certain vowels, but findings are not conclusive. A comparison of F0 dynamics and spectral dynamics through long and short vowels does not yield evidence that some long vowels may in fact be two heterosyllabic short vowels. Analysis shows that duration is associated with a vowel’s presence in word-edge syllables in Kyrgyz, as anticipated based on descriptions of word-final stress and initial prominence. However, high vowels and non-high vowels are found to consistently exhibit opposite durational effects. Specifically, high vowels in word-edge syllables are longer than high vowels in medial syllables, while non-high vowels in word-edge syllables are shorter than non-high vowels in medial syllables. This suggests either a phenomenon of durational neutralisation at word edges or the exaggeration of durational differences word-medially, and is not taken as a case of word-edge strengthening. Proposals for how to select from between these hypotheses in future work are discussed.
Highlights
This paper sets out to answer two basic questions about Kyrgyz: (1) is the vowel length distinction purely one of duration, and (2) what else affects the duration of vowels in Kyrgyz? In terms of the vowel length distinction, we examine (a) whether short and long vowels have distinct durations, (b) whether the spectral properties of long and short vowel pairs may be different, and (c) whether it’s possible that long vowels may be two heterosyllabic (“dual-headed”) short vowels [V.V] instead of singleton long vowels [V]
We examine spectral differences between long and short vowels, as well as the interaction of vowel duration with stress, syllable position in word, and other factors that often correlate with vowel duration, such as voicing of a following consonant, and presence in an open or closed syllable
Finding a strong correlation between length and duration, no evidence that all vowels in Kyrgyz are dual-headed, no uniform diphthongal tendencies, and only weak evidence for the correlation of spectral factors with the length distinction, we suggest that Kyrgyz long vowels differ from short vowels mainly in duration
Summary
This paper sets out to answer two basic questions about Kyrgyz: (1) is the vowel length distinction purely one of duration, and (2) what else affects the duration of vowels in Kyrgyz? In terms of the vowel length distinction, we examine (a) whether short and long vowels have distinct durations, (b) whether the spectral properties of long and short vowel pairs may be different, and (c) whether it’s possible that long vowels may be two heterosyllabic (“dual-headed”) short vowels [V.V] instead of singleton long vowels [V]. Additional minimal pairs that may be used to establish the length distinction for short/long vowel pairs not demonstrated above are [sytty] ‘milk– ’ and [sytty] ‘milky’, [eɾ] ‘husband’ and [eɾ] ‘saddle’, [søk] ‘swear/curse’ and [søk] ‘bone’, and [sɑt] ‘sell’ and [sɑt] ‘hour, clock’. These pairs establish that vowel length is not dependent on position and that it bears some functional load.
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