Laryngoscopic analysis of pharyngeal articulations and larynx-height voice quality settings

Abstract

Using fibreoptic laryngoscopy to observe pharyngeal articulations, the aryepiglottic sphincter mechanism i s shown to be responsible for the production of speech sounds in the phonetic category pharyngeal. Major differences in auditory/acoustic quality are also produced when the larynx as a whole is raised or lowered during the production of pharyngeals. The voiceless pharyngeal fricative and voiced pharyngeal approximant are the result of increased sphincteric constriction of the laryngeal in a continuum that begins with normal glottal stop and ventricular fold closure. A pharyngeal stop is produced when the aryepiglottic sphincter mechanism achieves complete closure, and trilling accompanying friction is evident at the pharyngeal place of articulation in both voiceless and voiced modes. It i s suggested that all five sounds share a common, pharyngeal place of articulation, but differ in manner of articulation. Raised larynx is the default setting for these articulations, but they may be produced with lowered larynx. 1. PHARYNGEAL SOUNDS Pharyngeals occur as discrete phonemes or as a secondary characteristic where a series of sounds is modified by the presence of a pharyngeal posture. Linguistic phonetic realizations of pharyngeal gestures include Semitic pharyngeals, pharyngeals in Caucasian languages, glottalization in North American languages (Salish and Wakashan), laryngealization in West African languages, implosives and ejectives, a feature of tone in Vietnamese and of segmental articulation in Danish, the [-ATR] vowel harmony series in West African languages, strident vowels in Khoisan phonology, and the pharyngealized voice quality in a number of singing styles that have been analyzed phonetically. Laufer and Condax [1] and Laufer and Baer [2] have demonstrated that native-speakers of Arabic and of Oriental Hebrew produce a voiceless fricative and a voiced approximant from a stricture behind the epiglottis. Butcher and Ahmad [3] confirm that the voiceless Arabic pharyngeal is a fricative and that the voiced Arabic pharyngeal is an approximant, but that the latter is most often realized as a stop. Catford [4,5,6] uses the term epiglottopharyngeal to refer to these sounds and to fricative, approximant, stop and possibly trill sounds in the Caucasian languages investigated by Kodzasov [7,8]. Kodzasov also observes that the larynx is typically raised in the production of pharyngeals. This possibility is supported by El-Halees [9] and by Stephen Jones who found in early radiographic studies of Somali pharyngeals not only that the larynx was elevating but that there also appeared to be some sort of vibration around the epiglottis during some articulations [10]. There is additional evidence that larynx raising may be inherent in pharyngeal articulations. Esling, Heap, Snell and Dickson [11] demonstrate that there is no auditory perceptual distinction between pharyngealized voice and raised larynx voice at certain pitches, and that pharyngealized voice i s likely to be perceived when pitch is low while raised larynx voice is likely to be perceived when pitch is high. Esling [12] presents evidence that the pharyngeal articulator i s responsible for the production of both pharyngealized voice and what Laver terms raised larynx voice [13]. Negus [14], Gauffin [15], Roach [16] and Painter [17] present detailed insights into supraglottal strictures, and Yanagisawa, Estill, Kmucha, and Leder [18] and Honda, Hirai, Estill and Tohkura [19] provide evidence that the epilaryngeal tube is elevated during many singing styles. What is unanswered here is to demonstrate the phonetic relationship between these singing styles and pharyngealized voice, and between larynx raising and the various possible manners of pharyngeal articulation.