The articulatory and acoustical characteristics of the ‘‘apical vowels’’ in Beijing Mandarin

Abstract

The study investigates the articulatory and acoustical characteristics of the two so-called ‘‘apical vowels’’ in Beijing Mandarin, which have been referred to as ‘‘apical anterior vowel’’ and ‘‘apical posterior vowel’’ by the linguists in China. The ‘‘apical posterior vowel’’ has also been described as a retroflex. The results of an EMA (electromagnetic articulograph) analysis show that both vowels are apical, with the tip of tongue approaching the alveolar region for the ‘‘anterior vowel’’ and the postalveolar region for the ‘‘posterior vowel.’’ The ‘‘posterior vowel’’ is pharyngealized, as the body of tongue in particular the posterodorsal portion is pulled backward toward the pharynx. Acoustical data obtained using the CSL4400 speech analysis software show that the two ‘‘apical vowels’’ have similar F1 value. The F2 value is slightly larger for the ‘‘posterior vowel’’ than ‘‘anterior vowel.’’ Thus, the correlation between a larger F2 and the advanced tongue position is not applicable to these ‘‘apical vowels.’’ The main difference between the two ‘‘apical vowels’’ is in F3, where the value is much smaller for the ‘‘posterior vowel’’ than ‘‘anterior vowel.’’ It is assumed that the smaller F3 value for the ‘‘posterior vowel’’ is due to pharyngealization.