Effects of variation in speaking rate, loudness, and vocalic context on linguapalatal contact patterns in Hindi sibilants

Abstract

A 96-channel electropalatograph was used to monitor normal, fast, and loud production of sibilants in the nonsense words /bisiÝb/, /basáb/, /busúb/ and /bišíb/, /bašáb/, /bušúb/ spoken in a carrier phrase by a native speaker of Hindi. Results showed the following. (1) Groove width (GW, in number of uncontacted sensors×2 mm) was considerably narrower for /s/ (4.64 mm) than /š/ (9.26 mm). (2) GW for /s/ decreased from normal to fast to loud speech; just the opposite was true for /š/. (3) For both /s/ and /š/, GW was narrower in the context of /a/ than /i/ or /u/; in the latter two, it was narrower in the /u/ context. (4) Anterior-posterior location (APL) of the groove (in number of contacted rows) occurred generally at the second and third rows for /s/ and the fourth and fifth rows for /š/. Consequently, the center of the groove for /s/ was 4 mm anterior to that for /š/ (i.e., the difference in the number of rows×2 mm). (5) APL of the groove for /s/ was more anterior in loud than normal or fast speech; in the latter two, it was more anterior in normal speech. (6) Groove APL for /s/ was more anterior in the context of /a/ than /i/ or /u/; in the latter two, it was more anterior in the context of /i/. (7) For /š/, groove APL was more posterior in fast than normal or loud speech; in the latter two, it was more posterior in loud speech. (8) Groove APL for /š/ shifted more posteriorly from /i/ to /a/ to /u/ context. [Work supported by NIH Grant NS20572.]