Realization Of Vowels Research Articles

The ‘Coloured’ connection of Namibian English

AbstractAmong the first English speakers in Namibia, South African Coloureds came to form an essential part of an ethnically fluid intermediate social class in colonial Namibia. This study seeks to pinpoint to what extent Coloured English varieties have been contributing to Namibian English and how much prestige is attached to them. To this end, this study simultaneously uses linguistic and perceptual data. One dataset consists of English phonetic data elicited from a representative urban sample of young Namibians. That dataset is analysed to establish what phonetic features mark out Coloured Namibian English varieties and to what extent they are found in other ethnolinguistic varieties and across social classes. The study then reports on a verbal guise experiment whose aim is to establish how young Namibians rate Coloured Namibian English varieties. Finally, the study analyses folk comments on Namibian English accents elicited from young Namibian focus groups. The study finds that, in terms of vowel realization patterns, Coloured Namibian English varieties sit in between White and Black Namibian English varieties, forming part of a continuum of which one extremity displays a White South African English imprint. The less ‘Afrikaans‐accented’ Coloured English varieties—associated with women—are developing middle‐class indexicalities. The fact that these varieties are targeted by young Black women and are perceived as ‘General Namibian English’, the study concludes, confirms that Namibian English is norm‐developing, as befits any Outer Circle variety. It is loosely tied to (South African) Inner Circle norms and has entered Phase 4 (‘endonormative stabilization’) of E. Schneider's Dynamic Model. The normative influence of Namibian Coloured English, the study argues, shows that the Dynamic Model needs fundamental adjustment to properly account for the role of non‐Europeans in Outer Circle dynamics.

The jet set: Modern RP and the (re)creation of social distinction

AbstractWhile the loss of regional distinctiveness across the southeastern UK is well studied and largely undisputed, there is less consensus about class-based divisions. This paper investigates this question through an updated analysis of the variety emblematic of Britain’s upper class: Received Pronunciation (RP). While previous studies have suggested levelling in RP to a broader standard southeastern norm, our findings indicate that the most recent advances in the variety show it (re)differentiating itself from other varieties in the region. Investigating both individual vowel movements and broader system-wide properties, we argue that the changes observed in RP today result from speakers adopting a particular articulatory setting (lax voice), which has subsequent ramifications on vowel realizations. We suggest that speakers make strategic use of this articulatory setting as a way of embodying an elite persona in the British context, an interpretation that resonates with the social distributions of similar changes in other varieties.

Regional vowel patterns as shown by discrete cosine transforms

This project presents a new approach to analyzing geographical patterning in vowel variation that combines discrete cosine transforms (DCTs) with cluster analysis. It offers a means of reducing bias from analyses of geographical patterning in vowel variation. DCT0 and DCT1 capture the overall position of vowels in the vowel envelope and DCT2 adds information about curvature. To mitigate anomalies, these metrics are based on numerous tokens and measurement points. Cluster analysis can then be applied to the DCT data to indicate which speakers are most similar without predetermined groupings. The procedure suggests how vowel realizations are correlated with geographical divisions, if at all, within the area covered by a dialect survey. Here, we apply DCTs and hierarchical clustering to a corpus of speakers born 1970 or later and covering eastern Ohio, West Virginia, and western North Carolina. The results align only partially with isophones from earlier dialect surveys. Analyses of individual vowel phonemes typically exhibit considerable intermixture of forms; clearer geographic patterns emerge primarily when multiple vowels in named chain shifts are considered together. Recent dialect leveling appears to play a role in the paucity of distinguishable regional patterns.

Realisasi Fonem Vokal Bahasa Indonesia

The purpose of this study this study describes the realization form of vowel phoneme, consonant phoneme in Indonesian language. Through this research, it is hoped that it can be useful for the Indonesian speakers, especially educators and students. In addition,In addition, this research is expected to inspire linguistic experts to examine more comprehensively related to the realization of Indonesian vowel phonemes. This research uses descriptive qualitative method by using a collective case approach study (collection case study). Data collection using observation, listening and note-taking techniques. The instruments we use in this research data collection itself are equipped with notes and scientific journals. complete with notes and scientific journals. In this study can conclude that (1) the realization of Indonesian vowel phonemes consists of 2 kinds, namely (a) in accordance with the rules and (b) in accordance with the rules. kinds, namely (a) in accordance with the rules and (b) deviating from the rules; and (2) deviations in the realization of vowels are in the vowels /i/, /u/, and /o/ in the closing position and in derived words. Deviations also The reflection of the realization of the vowel /u/ also occurs in abbreviations of Indonesian original words. Indonesian original words. There are deviations in the realization of the vowel /e/ that cause disparity of meaning. but there are also those that do not cause disparity of meaning. meaning.

Complex Natural Systems for Language

In this paper we want to show how complex systems theory can inform the theoretical development in natural phonology. This development leads us to propose complex natural systems modelling for language. We explain how complex systems help us understand both theoretical concepts from natural phonology, for example the concept of preference, as well as variation in language data, for example in English vowel realizations and Polish consonant clusters. We select from our respective research areas those exemplifications which clearly demonstrate substantial variation in language use.

Speaker discrimination as a function of vowel realization: does focus affect perception?

The acoustic-phonetic characteristics of speech sounds are influenced by their linguistic position in the syllable or sentence. Because of acoustic-phonetic differences between different speech sounds, sounds vary in the amount of speaker information they contain. However, do spectral and durational differences between realizations of the same sound that were sampled from different linguistic positions also impact speaker information? We investigated speaker discrimination in [−focus] versus [+focus] word realizations. Twenty-one Dutch listeners participated in a same-different task, using stimuli varying in focus, vowel ([aː], [u]), and word context ([ɦ_k], [v_t]), spoken by 11 different speakers. Results showed that an effect of focus on speaker-dependent information was present, but limited to words containing [u]. Moreover, performance on [u] words was influenced by (interactions of) word context and trial type (same-vs. different-speaker). Context-dependent changes in a speech sound’s acoustics may affect its speaker-dependent information, albeit under specific conditions only.

Effects of word context on formant discrimination

Studies of phonetic variation identify systematic, but often very small, acoustic differences in the realization of vowels. However, it is not known whether such differences are perceptually relevant in realistic contexts. We examine perceptibility of incrementally manipulated differences in F1 and F2 in vowels embedded in real words of English (experiment 1), and vowels in isolation (experiment 2), via an AX discrimination task. Forty listeners in each experiment, recruited through Amazon Mechanical Turk, heard 27 monosyllabic words or vowels in pairs containing a no-change token and a token edited to differ up to ±100 Hz in F1 or ±150 Hz in F2 relative to the original and were asked to say whether tokens were same or different. Discrimination increased with bigger vowel differences (both F1 and F2) in both experiments; however, even maximally different tokens were correctly discriminated less than half the time. F2 discrimination was better in isolated vowels (48%) than in whole words (33%). Compared to previous results in optimized difference limen studies (e.g., Kewley-Port and Watson, 1994), our results show that untrained listeners in more typical listening conditions (non-synthetic speech heard in non-laboratory conditions in real word contexts) require much bigger differences to be perceptible.

강세 충돌 해소의 음성학적 실태 연구

The present study examines the phonetic realization of vowels in the avoidance of stress clash. This study compares a 5 syllable phrase which shows stress movement, with a 4 syllable word which has stress on the right foot. 5 male native speakers and 5 female native speakers read 16 sentences with words and phrases. Pitch declined in the third syllable compared to the first syllable in phrases (σ1σ3). Correspondingly, pitch in the third syllable of a phrase was lower than that of a word. Intensity in the first and the third syllable of a phrase was similar (σ1≒σ3) and there was no significant intensity change in the third syllables between a word and a phrase. As a result, pitch reflected the effect of stress clash and showed stress shift and stress deletion in the manner of an acoustic value decrease, achieving the goal of avoiding stress clash. Intensity, on the other hand, maintained the periodical alternation (sw sw) and did not show the grid lowering in the manner of an acoustic value decrease.

The American Elizabethan Accent in the Ocracoke Brogue

To some ears, the Ocracoke “Brogue,” an unusual accent of Ocracoke (North Carolina) sounds Shakespearean. Data from interviews with three Ocracoke Brogue speakers and Wolfram’s Ocracoke Brogue documentary informed this study. In the context of the Brogue’s background, key samples from Wolfram’s film revealed that though Ocracoke speakers tended towards centralization and backing of vowel realizations, monophthongization tended to be the chief remnant of Original Pronunciation of Shakespeare’s English. Influences on linguistic changes in the context of tourism and climate change were considered. Future study on the Croatoan language and comparison of Australian accents to the Ocracoke Brogue were inspired by this research.

The effect of prosodic factors on vowel realization: evidence from Greek dialects

Η ανάλυση eξeτάζeι την eπίδραση τeσσάρων προσωδιακών παραγόντων στην πραγμάτωση της διάρκeιας και ποιότητας των φωνηέντων σe αυθόρμητη ομιλία τοπικών διαλέκτων της Νέας Eλληνικής. Στο δeίγμα eκπροσωπούνται οι βόρeιeς και νότιeς διάλeκτοι. Τα αποτeλέσματα eπιβeβαιώνουν την παρουσία κάποιων φωνητικών καθολικών, όπως η τeλική eπιμήκυνση σe πeριβάλλον eπιτονικού ορίου ή η eπίδραση του λeξικού τόνου στις διπλανές συλλαβές, eνώ, ταυτόχρονα, eντοπίζονται φαινόμeνα αντίθeτα προς τα καθολικά, όπως η τάση για «υπeρ-πραγμάτωση» των φωνητικών στόχων, που σχeτίζeται μe το μήκος της λέξης-φορέα.

Acoustic Variation of Syllable-Initial [ŋ] in Zhengding Chinese

The study explores the acoustic properties of syllable-initial [ŋ] in Zhengding dialect, to see whether the younger generation shows the same pattern with the senior group. 60 items with vowel realizations [ʌ, a, ɑ, ə, ɤ] and [ai, ɑo, ou] in ‘[ŋ]-V’ and ‘[g]-V’ structures are produced by 8 native speakers. Three experiments are conducted. Experiment I compares ‘[ŋ]-V’ and ‘[g]-V’ structures in senior speeches. Three acoustic effects due to the initial [ŋ] are established: vowels become less distinctive from each other by decreasing the first formant (F1), increasing the second formant (F2), and shrinking the gap between the second formant (F2) and the third formant (F3). Experiment II is conducted between ‘[ŋ]-V’ and ‘[g]-V’ in the younger speakers, investigating whether they have a similar pattern with the seniors. Experiment III is supplemented to compare the younger speeches in Zhengding dialect and Mandarin, to explore whether the generational variation in Zhengding dialect is relevant to dialect contact, i.e., whether the younger speakers are largely influenced by Mandarin. The result shows the younger generation does not produce the initial [ŋ] with the vowel realizations [ʌ, a, ɑ, ə, ai, ɑo, ou], which traditionally have an initial [ŋ], with an exception in [ɤ]. A fusion process is assumed in [ɤ] in the younger pattern, in which the initial nasal [ŋ] and the following vowel [ɤ] are combined into the single nasalized vowel [ɤ̃], with the nasal effects remained, but the initial nasal then deleted. From the sociovariationist perspective, the nasal-initial pronunciation is a partial variation in Zhengding dialect. Not all speakers pronounce with the velar-initial [ŋ]. The older generation largely remained the velar-initial variant, but the younger generation preferred the zero-onset, which might be due to the influence of dialect contact with Mandarin.

ERRORS IN LONG VOWEL PRONUNCIATION: A CASE OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT STUDENTS

The study aims to investigate the errors in the long vowel realizations committed by students of English Language Education Department. It is a case study of the English Language Education Department students of Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang. The study employed qualitative method. The data were the recorded pronunciation of twenty students from the Speaking for Informal Interaction class at Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang. The data were collected when the students performed a storytelling for three to five minutes. In the data analysis, all of the recordings were carefully listened and the mispronunciation of words containing the targeted long vowels was identified. Upon the long vowel error identification, the students’ long vowel production was phonologically transcribed and assigned into the table of long vowels. The table was set according to the classification of the five types of English long vowels, namely [ɑ:], [ɛ:], [i:], [ɔ:], [u:]. Further, the phonological transcription analysis referred to Received Pronunciation (RP) and General American (GA) as the accepted pronunciation standards. The result shows that the English long vowels [i:], [ɑ:], [ɛ:], [u:], and [ɔ:] are replaced with the short vowels [ʌ], [i], [ɛ], [u], and [ɔ] respectively. The replacement is implemented due to the absence of the targeted sounds in the students native language (Bahasa). This phenomenon is the result of phonological transfer.

Cross-linguistic filled pause realization: The acoustics of uh and um in native Dutch and non-native English.

It has been claimed that filled pauses are transferred from the first (L1) into the second language (L2), suggesting that they are not directly learned by L2 speakers. This would make them usable for cross-linguistic forensic speaker comparisons. However, under the alternative hypothesis that vowels in the L2 are learnable, L2 speakers adapt their pronunciation. This study investigated whether individuals remain consistent in their filled pause realization across languages, by comparing filled pauses (uh, um) in L1 Dutch and L2 English by 58 females. Next to the effect of language, effects of the filled pauses' position in the utterance were considered, as these are expected to affect acoustics and also relate to fluency. Mixed-effects models showed that, whereas duration and fundamental frequency remained similar across languages, vowel realization was language-dependent. Speakers used um relatively more often in English than Dutch, whereas previous research described speakers to be consistent in their um:uh ratio across languages. Results furthermore showed that filled-pause acoustics in the L1 and L2 depend on the position in the utterance. Because filled pause realization is partially adapted to the L2, their use as a feature for cross-linguistic forensic speaker comparisons may be restricted.

A Phonetic Account of Spanish-English Bilinguals’ Divergence with Agreement

Does bilingual language influence in the domain of phonetics impact the morphosyntactic domain? Spanish gender is encoded by word-final, unstressed vowels (/a e o/), which may diphthongize in word-boundary vowel sequences. English neutralizes unstressed final vowels and separates across-word vocalic sequences. The realization of gender vowels as schwa, due to cross-linguistic influence, may remain undetected if not directly analyzed. To explore the potential over-reporting of gender accuracy, we conducted parallel phonetic and morphosyntactic analyses of read and semi-spontaneous speech produced by 11 Monolingual speakers and 13 Early and 13 Late Spanish-English bilinguals. F1 and F2 values were extracted at five points for all word-final unstressed vowels and vowel sequences. All determiner phrases (DPs) from narratives were coded for morphological and contextual parameters. Early bilinguals exhibited clear patterns of vowel centralization and higher rates of hiatuses than the other groups. However, the morphological analysis yielded very few errors. A follow-up integrated analysis revealed that /a and o/ were realized as centralized vowels, particularly with [+Animate] nouns. We propose that bilinguals’ schwa-like realizations can be over-interpreted as target Spanish vowels. Such variable vowel realization may be a factor in the vulnerability to attrition in gender marking in Spanish as a heritage language.

Polish word-final nasal vowels

Although there exists a set of prescriptive rules concerning the realization of Polish nasal vowels, it can be observed that their pronunciation differs across dialects, especially in word-final position. While there is ample research on vowel nasality in Polish, sociolinguistic studies investigating the realization of nasal vowels seem to be scant and this is why we aim to fill this gap by investigating the relationship between the realization of word-final nasal vowels and different sociolinguistic factors including age, gender, education, place of residence, and style (read vs. conversational speech). Moreover, we focus on a potential change in prestige associated with the variation. Fifty native speakers of Polish living in Greater Poland were asked to read aloud a text and describe a picture. Having analysed the words containing nasal vowels word-finally, we found, inter alia, statistically significant associations between age and the variation in the realization of nasal vowels.

Comparing non-native and native speech: Are L2 productions more variable?

Foreign-accented speech of second language learners is often difficult to understand for native listeners of that language. Part of this difficulty has been hypothesized to be caused by increased within-category variability of non-native speech. However, until recently, there have been few direct tests for this hypothesis. The realization of vowels and word-final stops in productions of native-English L1 speakers and native-Mandarin speakers of L2 English is compared. With the largest sample size to date, it is shown that at least proficient non-native speakers exhibit little or no difference in category variability compared to native speakers. This is shown while correcting for the effects of phonetic context. The same non-native speakers show substantial deviations from native speech in the central tendencies (means) of categories, as well as in the correlations among cues they produce. This relativizes a common and a priori plausible assumption that competition between first and second language representations necessarily leads to increased variability-or, equivalently, decreased precision, consistency, and stability-of non-native speech. Instead, effects of non-nativeness on category variability are category- and cue-specific.

Phonation type contrasts and tone in Chichimec.

Chichimec (Otomanguean) has two tones, high and low, and a phonological three-way phonation contrast: modal /V/, breathy /V¨/, and creaky /Ṽ/. Tone and phonation type contrasts are used independently. This paper investigates the acoustic realization of modal, breathy, and creaky vowels; the timing of phonation in non-modal vowels; and the production of tone in combination with different phonation types. The results of cepstral peak prominence and three spectral tilt measures showed that phonation type contrasts are not distinguished by the same acoustic measures for women and men. In line with expectations for laryngeally complex languages, phonetic modal and non-modal phonation are sequenced in phonological breathy and creaky vowels. With respect to the timing pattern, however, the results show that non-modal phonation is not, as previously reported, mainly located in the middle of the vowel. Non-modal phonation is, instead, predominantly realized in the second half of phonological breathy and creaky vowels. Tone is distinguished in all three phonation types, and non-modal vowels do not exhibit distinct F0 ranges except for creaky vowels produced by women in which F0 declines in the creaky portion. The results of the acoustic analysis provide additional insights to phonological accounts of laryngeal complexity in Chichimec.

Prosody-segment Interactions in the Acoustics of Polish Front Vowels

This paper presents an acoustic study devised to investigate the effects of three presumably distinct prosodic position on the phonetic realisation of Polish front vowels in #CV (that is, following a prosodic boundary and a consonantal onset) and #VC sequences (that is, immediately following a prosodic boundary). The results of the experiment suggest that Polish does not seem to distinguish between utterance-initial and phrase-initial positions, with some contrasts present between these two positions and phrase-medial tokens with respect to F1. No effects of position have been found for F2 or vowel duration. There are also no clear differences on the acoustic realisation of vowels depending on whether or not they are adjacent to the prosodic boundary. These results raise questions about the nature of prosodic structure in Polish as compared to other languages which show more robust effects.

Acoustic Characteristics of Rhotic Vowel Productions of Young Children

Aims: This study examined the acoustic characteristics of perceptually acceptable rhotic vowels produced by young children with and without speech sound disorders (SSDs). Productions were analyzed in relation to the overall rhotic proficiency level of each child, as determined by rhotic vowel and consonant accuracy. The effect of the surrounding phonetic contexts on acoustic realization of rhotic vowels was also examined. Methods: Participants included 18 children aged 2–6 years with and without SSD, grouped by overall rhotic sound proficiency (high rhotic proficiency: ≥70% correct rhotic consonants and vowels; intermediate rhotic proficiency: ≤30% correct rhotic consonants, but ≥70% correct rhotic vowels; low rhotic proficiency: ≤30% correct rhotic consonants and vowels). Target sounds included stressed and unstressed rhotic monophthongs ([ɝ] and [ɚ], respectively) and 4 rhotic diphthongs that differ by pre-rhotic vowel type (/ɪ͡ɚ/, /ɛ͡ɚ/, /ɔ͡ɚ/, /ɑ͡ɚ/). F3 and F3-F2 measures were compared across groups and contexts. Results: No significant differences in F3 and F3-F2 by rhotic sound proficiency group were found in rhotic vowels produced by children with above 70% rhotic vowel accuracy, regardless of their proficiency with rhotic consonants. Acoustic patterns differed by phonetic contexts, but the effect varied by rhotic sound proficiency group. Conclusion: Results showed that once children learn to produce rhotic vowels, they show a comparable degree of rhoticity as those produced by children with high rhotic vowel and consonant accuracy. Results also suggest that rhotic sounds develop earlier in certain phonetic contexts than in others (e.g., [ɝ] before [ɚ]; /ɪ͡ɚ/ and /ɑ͡ɚ/ before /ɔ͡ɚ/).

Arabic-Spanish Language Contact in Puerto Rico: A Case of Glottal Stop Epenthesis

The current study examines the realization of adjacent vowels across word boundaries in Arabic-Spanish bilinguals and Spanish monolinguals in Puerto Rico, focusing specifically on the rate of glottal stop epenthesis in this context (e.g., hombre africano to [ˈom.bre.ʔa.fri.ˈka.no]). It was hypothesized that Arabic-Spanish bilinguals would show a higher rate of glottal stop epenthesis than Spanish monolinguals because of transfer from Arabic. In addition, we investigated the possible effects of stress, vowel height, language dominance and bilingual type on the rate of glottal stop epenthesis. Results from a reading task with 8 participants showed no significant difference in glottalization between bilinguals and monolinguals. For monolinguals, glottalization was significantly more likely when the first vowel was low or stressed; significant interactions between vowel height and stress were found for the bilingual group. Language dominance was a significant factor, with Arabic-dominant bilinguals glottalizing more than the Spanish-dominant bilinguals. In addition, early sequential bilinguals favored glottalization slightly more than simultaneous bilinguals, without reaching significance. Our data suggests some effects of syllable structure transfer from Arabic, particularly in Arabic-dominant participants. To our knowledge, our study is the first exploration of Arabic and Spanish in contact in Puerto Rico, and the first to acoustically examine the speech of Arabic-Spanish bilinguals.