Spectral characteristics of English stops in prestressed position

Abstract

Spectral characteristics of English stops in prestressed position, both in singleton and in clusters, are examined in detail using a data base designed for controlled acoustic phonetic research [Victor W. Zue, “Acoustic phonetic data base for the study of selected English consonants, consonant clusters, and vowels,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 57, S34(A) (1975)]. The study being presented here is based on the analysis of some 1200 stops spoken by three male speakers. Results on the spectral characteristics of the stops at the release, during the transient, and following the onset of voicing will be presented as a function of (1) the voicing characteristics of the stop; (2) the place of articulation of the stop; and (3) the phonetic context (i.e., the influence of the following vowel or sonorant). Results on inter‐ and intraspeaker variability will also be discussed.