Experimental Phonetic Study Research Articles

An Experimental Phonetic Study on Discontinuity-Continuity Effects of Chinese Prosodic Boundaries at Different Levels under the Influence of Focus in Different Positions

An Experimental Phonetic Study on Discontinuity-Continuity Effects of Chinese Prosodic Boundaries at Different Levels under the Influence of Focus in Different Positions

Звонкость согласных в сургутском диалекте хантыйского языка по данным электроглоттографии

This paper presents an experimental phonetic study of consonant voicing in Surgut Khanty conducted with one na-tive speaker of the Trom-Agan sub-dialect using a Rose Medical EGG-D200 laryngograph and icSpeech software. The vocal cord activity was assessed non-invasively with sensors on the speaker’s throat. The recordings were seg-mented and annotated via Praat software and then statistically processed with the Emu-SDMS corpus manager and R programming language. A voicing rate was calculated as the relative duration of the sound segment defining the fundamental frequency. Over 770 sound segments were processed. The obstruent consonants /p/, /t/, /c͡ç/, /k/, /s/, /ɬ/, and /ʎ̥/ were pronounced voicelessly, partially voiced in intervocalic position but never having sonants’ and vowels’ typical values. The obstruent consonants had the voicing coefficients of 0–0,44, with the mean values for different phonemes of 0,02–0,06, while vowels feature the voicing coefficients of 0,44–0,89 and the mean values of 0,53–0,82. The sonor consonants /m/, /n/, /r/, /j/, /ɣ/, /ɲ/, /ŋ/, and /w/ were pronounced as voiced in the initial and medial positions. In the final position, the sonor consonants were realized as devoiced or voiceless depending on the syntagmatic conditions, with the voicing coefficients of 0–0,83 and average values of 0,4–0,63. The paper provides oscillograms and glottograms for the sounds investigated. A control evaluation was conducted using the acoustic data. The comparison of the consonant voicing data from the audio recording and glottography revealed only the latter method to accurately detect a boundary of the voiced segment.

Сравнительный анализ артикуляционно-акустических характеристик вокализма современных английского и русского языков (на материале биологической терминологии)

The article considers the comparative analysis of the articulation-acoustic characteristics of the vocalism of the modern English and Russian languages (on the examples of the scientific discourse), taking into account combinatorial and positional changes that affect the characteristics of unstressed vocalism, a number of typical modifications in the timbre, temporal, dynamic and tonal characteristics of unstressed languages are identified. Namely: the variability of the timbre features of the vowel depending on the vowel of the Russian language,to which it is assimilated by the speaker; increasing the duration of unstressed vowels; full-sounding pronunciation (absence of elision and haplology processes) of words in a weak position; insufficient degree of the reduction of vowels; variability and expressiveness of the tonal characteristics of unstressed vowels. The theoretical and methodological basis of the study is the scientific works in the fields of phonology, prosody, acoustic theory of speech, experimental phonetics, taking into account the problems of interaction between the components of the interfered phonetic system in the English language of Russian speakers with different (high, medium and low) levels of phonetic competence. The paper uses a complex methodology of the experimental phonetic study of the prosodic features of unstressed vocalism in the English speech of the Russian language speakers. The methodology for conducting experimental phonetic research includes the use of empirical general scientific methods (measurement, experiment); special methods of auditory and acoustic analysis (computer-oscillographic and spectral), the method of quantitative analysis of processing the results of a phonetic experiment and the linguistic interpretation of the results of the study. The paper analyzes the quantitative indicators and the degree of these modifications of English unstressed vocalism in speech, taking into account the level of their phonetic competence and the experience of communicating in English.

Интонация в алтайском языке (на материале простых односоставных побудительных высказываний)

The paper presents the results of studying the Altai language intonation on the experimental material recorded from six speakers fluent in the Altai language from different regions of the Altai Republic. The recording program consisted of situational single-component imperative utterances. Twenty sentences were pronounced three times each in positive and negative versions, in singular and plural, having different degrees of imperativeness, but without any expressive emotional load. The single-compound motivational statements considered are expressed by imperative or desirable verb forms in the first-, second-, and third-person singular and plural in the affirmative and negative variants. The experimental phonetic study has revealed rising tone to be characteristic for positive and negative imperative one-component sentences, with fundamental tone frequency peaks at the last syllable and there being a possibility for intensity, presumably marking the stressed syllable, to shift within a word-form. The analysis showed the intonation marking of motivational statements to depend on their type: action stimulation, order or demand, are characterized by inclination, a request - by a combined ascending-descending tone, a ban - by a descending tone, advice - both by ascending-descending intonation and declination. In the negative version, in singular and plural, in three or more syllabic sentences on the negative particles -ba / -be, -pa / -pe, etc., there is an even tone or a decrease in the frequency of the fundamental tone. The peak of intensity in such sentences is realized on the last syllable of the verb. In addition, the vowel of the final syllable is usually prolonged.

Dynamic spectral characteristics of defective sounds pronunciation in students with minimal dysarthric disorders

The article is devoted to the analysis of the spectrographic characteristics of defective sounds pronunciation in children with minimal dysarthric disorders (mild dysarthria). These characteristics were obtained in the process of an experimental-phonetic study. It involved the study of the nature of changes that occur during the transition from one sound to another and also during the pronunciation of a single sound. The article presents the results of the experiment carried out on the basis of a qualitative analysis of dynamic spectrograms of syllables; describes the most permanent signs characterizing the defective sounds pronunciation in syllables of various structures (open, closed). The nature of the mutual influences of sounds in various structures of syllables is revealed. Comparative data were obtained for the acoustic (formant) proximity of various variants of defective pronunciation to the sound standard in children with minimal dysarthric disorders. The contextual phonetic influences at the level of syllables are determined, taking into account the acoustic characteristics of sounds and their defective variants.

Інтонація чоловічих негативних оцінних висловлень у сучасному англійському діалогічному мовленні

The article deals with a gender-oriented experimental phonetic study of explicit male negative evaluative utterances in modern English everyday dialogical speech. The realization of the category of evaluation in speech is in the limelight of modern sociolinguistic research aimed at establishing the linguistic behaviour peculiarities and verbalization of roles, norms and values attributed to men and women by society. Evaluation is objectified in language units of lexical, phonetic, syntactic and discourse levels. Negative evaluative utterances verbalise the negative evaluation of the object that doesn’t meet the subject’s expectations according to certain criteria. On the basis of auditory and acoustic analyses prosodic markers of male negative rational and emotional evaluative utterances in communication between men and in communication with women of the same social status have been outlined: pitch pattern, loudness, tempo and pausation. Invariant prosodic features of male negative evaluative utterances in communication between representatives of the same and different sex but of the same social status have been established: mid level pre-head; descending stepping and mid level scales; mid, narrowed and wide ranges of intonation group; high and low falling terminal tones; falling and rising-falling pitch contour; moderate tempo; moderate loudness; sad and dramatic timbre; voice pitch frequency maximum on head and nucleus of the first or second intonation group; peak intensity on nucleus and the first rhythm group; minimal average syllable duration; small and average unfilled tentative reflective pauses. Variant prosodic features of the following male negative evaluative utterances have been distinguished: 1. Rational evaluative utterances in communication between men: level pitch contour; accelerated tempo; reduced loudness; peak intensity on another rhythm group than pre-head, head and nucleus; small unfilled and average filled tentative choice pauses; 2. Rational evaluative utterances in communication between men and women: ascending stepping scale; the Low Low-Rise and the Rise; falling-rising pitch contour; increased loudness; small unfilled tentative psychological pauses; short filled tentative reflective pauses; intemporal psychological pauses; 3. Emotional evaluative utterances in communication between men: increased and reduced loudness; peak intensity on another rhythm group than pre-head, head and nucleus; small unfilled tentative psychological pauses; intemporal psychological, choice and reflective pauses; 4. Emotional evaluative utterances in communication between men and women: ascending stepping scale; widened and narrow ranges of intonation group; the Low Low-Rise and the High Rise-Fall; short average syllable duration; small filled tentative choice pauses; average filled tentative reflective pauses.

PROSODIC ORGANISATION OF STATIC URBAN LANDSCAPE DESCRIPTIONS IN ENGLISH PROSE

In the article on the basis of a systemic analysis of English landscape descriptions’ functional, semantic and structural characteristics the author gives the most common definition of a landscape description, outlines the eight-level classification of their linguistic features, in which the main level of descriptions’ identification is their belonging to the locality type. In the paper, the author performs a detailed analysis and modelling of language units’ interaction in the landscape descriptions of oral actualisation. The model allows distinguishing the direction of prosodic, lexical and grammatical means’ interaction in the organisation of the aforementioned descriptions having different degrees of their narrative dynamics and the level of emotional-and-pragmatic potential. The suggested model and the landscape descriptions’ classification serve as methodological grounds for the experimental phonetic study of static urban landscape descriptions’ prosodic organisation. The article also outlines the steps of the auditory analysis methodology necessary for researching the prosodic parameters of the descriptions under study. Among other parameters, the author applies the Kalyta-Taranenko K -criterion for the evaluation of a text fragment’s level of emotional-and-pragmatic potential. The results of the auditory analysis enable the author to come up with the invariant prosodic pattern of English static urban landscape descriptions’ intonation organisation. This invariant pattern makes it possible to classify them perfectly well during their oral realisation. The paper also outlines the prospective scientific studies of other kinds of descriptions in different linguistic spheres in general and in phonetics in particular.

ВЛИЯНИЕ ГЕНДЕРНОГО ФАКТОРА НА СУПРАСЕГМЕНТНЫЕ СРЕДСТВА В ПОБУДИТЕЛЬНЫХ ПРЕДЛОЖЕНИЯХ (РЕЗУЛЬТАТЫ ЭКСПЕРИМЕНТАЛЬНО-ФОНЕТИЧЕСКОГО ИССЛЕДОВАНИЯ НА МАТЕРИАЛЕ НЕМЕЦКОГО ЯЗЫКА)

The article is devoted to the consideration of the gender factor role in imperative sentences. Gender is viewed from the standpoint of socio-cultural relations. The author starts from the position of gender linguistics on the existence of different gender communication strategies. The aim of the paper is to identify the presence of gender differences at the suprasegmental level using an experimental-phonetic study. The investigation of the role of suprasegmental means, in particular, without the participation of lexical and grammatical tools, has conditioned the topicality of the research. The novelty is in the fact that no such experimental studies have been carried out by the material of the German language. Particular attention is paid to suprasegmental means, which have opposite meanings in realizations by men and women.

CORRELATION OF THE ENGLISH FAIRY TALE’S PLOT STRUCTURE AND ITS PROSODIC ORGANISATION

In the paper on the basis of a systemic analysis of the English fairy tales’ semantic, functional and structural characteristics the author updates its definition of a small form folk text, outlines typical genre characteristics and substantiates a hierarchical subordination of its functional features. The paper also advances the algorithmic model, representing the steps of unfolding the English fairy tales’ plot elements, which serves as a theoretical and methodological ground for the experimental phonetic study of prosodic means that organise the text of a fairy tale. Within the process of model formation, the author performs a matrix analysis of the fairy tale’s content and compositional structure, presented as a systemic algorithmic scheme. The evaluation of emotional and pragmatic potentials of the spoken fairy tale made it possible to describe the peculiarities of prosodic features functioning within its structural elements (exposition → development of the events → climax → denouement) and at their junctures as well as substantiate its invariant and variant intonation patterns. The carried out auditory analysis proves that there is a direct correlation between the fairy tale’s plot structure and its prosodic means, whose specific interaction triggers creative and cognitive processes in the recipient’s mind aimed at conveying the text pragmatic aim.

Prosodic organization of English folk riddles and the mechanism of their decoding

The paper advances a cognitive model representing a creative mechanism of riddle decoding by its recipient, which serves as a theoretical and methodological ground for the experimental phonetic study of prosodic means that organize the text of a riddle. Within the process of cognitive model formation the author performs a conceptual analysis of the riddle compositional structure, presented as a systemic algorithmic scheme. It is confirmed that a characteristic feature of a folk riddle is its division into two elements: the first one is the description of an object, further differentiated into “topic” and “commentary”, while the second one is the riddle answer, or solution, generated directly in the recipient’s mind as a result of his/her mental activities. The carried out auditory analysis proves that such a limitation of the riddle’s structure is compensated by a set of prosodic means and their specific interaction, which trigger creative and cognitive processes in the recipient’s mind aimed at searching for the riddle solution.

Auditory representations and the structures of GP 2.0

This paper presents a proposal for the implementation of auditory specification within structures inspired by GP 2.0 (Kaye-Pochtrager 2009). In the theory, constituent structure itself is a phonetic object built down from Onset structure. This strategy allows for a faithful representation of the acoustic signal and an insightful model of consonant strength and coda formation. Perceptual considerations suggest that a privative approach to auditory representation can account for phonological behavior, as well as enable us to form testable hypotheses for experimental phonetic study.

Experimental Phonetic Study on the Pyeong’an Dialect: Focusing on the Vowels of the Pyeong’yang subdialect

Experimental Phonetic Study on the Pyeong’an Dialect: Focusing on the Vowels of the Pyeong’yang subdialect

An Experimental Phonetic Study on Chinese Japanese Learners’ Intonation Use of The Sentence Partical “の”

An Experimental Phonetic Study on Chinese Japanese Learners’ Intonation Use of The Sentence Partical “の”

An Experimental Phonetic Study on Jeju Dialect Intonation of Jeju people in Japan - case study on speakers older than 70s in Osaka

An Experimental Phonetic Study on Jeju Dialect Intonation of Jeju people in Japan - case study on speakers older than 70s in Osaka

The Effect of Pitch Peak Alignment on Sentence Type Identification in Russian

This paper reports the results of an experimental phonetic study examining pitch peak alignment in production and perception of three-syllable one-word sentences with phonetic rising-falling pitch movement by speakers of Russian. The first part of the study (Experiment 1) utilizes 22 one-word three-syllable utterances read by five female speakers of Russian as a declarative, an exclamation, and an interrogative. Significant differences in the alignment of pitch peak across declaratives and exclamations on the one hand and interrogatives on the other hand are observed. The second experiment tests whether these pitch peak alignment differences are employed in speech perception. Experiment 2 is performed with a series of resynthesized three-syllable stimuli which differ by 14 locations of the pitch peak, two segmental bases used for resynthesis (declarative and interrogative) and two heights of the pitch peak (270 and 320Hz). The results of the experiment demonstrate that a shift in pitch peak alignment strongly affects listeners' perception of sentence type. The effects of pitch height and segmental base are also significant. Implications for Russian intonation system are discussed.

Phonetic Interpretation of the Word Accent Contrast in Swedish

Abstract This paper reports an experimental phonetic study of the acute and grave word accents in Central Standard Swedish. The hypothesis was that the fall in fundamental frequency (F₀) observed on the primary stressed syllable in grave words is a direct consequence of the word accent, while the corresponding fall in F₀ in acute words reflects sentence level intonation. Three male subjects read speech material designed to illustrate how these falls in F₀ are influenced by intonational context. The main finding was that the grave fall was substantial and consistent, whereas an acute fall appeared only in certain contexts. The results indicated that an F₀ fall is a positive acousticperceptual requirement for the grave accent, while the acute accent constitutes the unmarked member of the contrast, i.e., ‘acute’ equals ‘non-grave’.