Observations on the release of /t/

Abstract

Palatographic data were examined for the release of prevocalic /t/ in both aspirated and unaspirated contexts. Thirty-two tongue contact points in the alveolar region were sampled every 2 ms. Although a plosive burst is a sudden acoustical event, the dynamic tongue release gesture is more gradual. The burst is associated with the sudden opening of a narrow central channel between the tongue and palate. The tongue then continues to pull away from contact centrally, with the final contacts remaining laterally even after voicing for the following vowel has commenced. At some point during the release of /t/, the tongue contact pattern passes through a configuration virtually identical to that for the greatest constriction of /s/. This implies that a brief period of frication generated at the point of release may follow the burst. The sequence of acoustical events at the release of aspirated /t/ would be: burst-frication-aspiration. Tongue releases in a unaspirated context (/st__/) were also examined. The palatographic pattern of tongue release was no different for the unaspirated context, although the timing of its initiation was later relative to the beginning of the following vowel. [Work supported by NIDR.]