Abstract
The first part of this study investigated the acoustic correlates of two pharyngeal consonants /ʕ,ħ/ and three uvular consonants /ʁ,ɦ,ǫ/in prevocalic position with the three vowels /a/, /i/, and /u/, in Arabic. Analysis of these consonants showed distinctive formant trajectories for each class of sounds and the existence of several allophonic realizations for the voiced consonants in both classes. The second part of the study examined the perceptual correlates of the two voiced consonants /ʕ/ and /ʁ/ prevocalically with the vowel /a/. Formant trajectories and bandwidths were manipulated independently in synthetic nonsense /Ca/ syllables. These synthetic stimuli were then presented to subjects in identification tests. Results show that a high F1 and the proximity of F1 and F2 are essential for the perception of /ʕ/, whereas a widened F1 bandwidth is essential for the perception of a natural /ʁ/. The acoustic and perceptual results are discussed in terms of the mechanisms of production of sounds with a narrow constriction between the glottis and the velum, and the corresponding articulatory-acoustic transformations involved. [Work supported in part by an NSF grant.]
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