Quantal relations from the acoustic coupled resonators of sonorant consonants.

Abstract

In this talk, we discuss the quantal relations that result from the coupled resonators of sonorant consonants. We have developed three dimensional geometries for light and dark /l/’s and for retroflex and bunched /r/’s based on MRI data from several speakers. In addition, we have used a computer vocal tract program (VTAR) to develop simpler models from MRI-derived area functions for /r/’s, nasal consonants, and nasalized vowels. Our vocal tract modeling shows that zeros occur in all of these cases due to side branches. For /l/, the side branches are the result of the palatal constriction with airflow around the sides of the tongue. For /r/, the side branches are due to the large front cavity, sometimes with space under the tongue. For the nasals and nasalized vowels, zeros occur due to the coupling between the oral and nasal cavities and the paranasal sinuses. We will discuss how the frequencies of the zeros vary as a result of changes in articulatory configurations. In addition, for /r/, we will show the quantal relationship in the frequency of F3 and the relative lengths of the cavities anterior and posterior to the palatal constriction.