Vowel Research Articles

An Introduction to Afrikaans Art Songs: A Guide to Lyric Diction

An Introduction to Afrikaans Art Songs: A Guide to Lyric Diction Christian Bester (bio) and Bronwen Forbay (bio) LANGUAGE AND DICTION BASIC AFRIKAANS GRAMMAR The second half of this two-part presentation (see "An Introduction to Afrikaans Art Song Literature: Origins and Repertoire," pp. 471–482) aims to provide singers and teachers with a basic overview of the formation and pronunciation of authentic Afrikaans vowels and consonants. Phonetic transcription rules using the IPA will help guide students and teachers in their correct application. Written Afrikaans utilizes the same twenty-six letters as the English alphabet. Afrikaans sounds closest to Dutch, but uses considerably simpler spellings by comparison, a characteristic that makes it more accessible than many other Germanic languages. Although Afrikaans shares many cognates with English, it is characterized by the frequent use of diminutives (inherited from Dutch), numerous diphthongs, a lack of gender distinction, and simplicity in its verbal system. Verbs are not conjugated, but remain the same within a specific tense regardless of person or number. This particular characteristic makes Afrikaans lyric diction considerably easier to master than other Germanic languages. Afrikaans is predominantly a phonetic language with a limited number of exceptions. Closed syllables are more common than open syllables.1 Where two dissimilar consonants or double consonants separate syllables, the division usually falls between the two consonants, resulting in the first syllable being closed. Exceptions to this rule include the consonant combinations: tr, kw, dr, kl, and kr, which are divided before the initial consonant.2 Word Stress Indigenous Afrikaans words generally receive stress on the first syllable.3 Prefixes and suffixes usually remain unstressed, while the root portion of a word is emphasized.4 Exceptions include either words of foreign origin, borrowed words where stress shifts to the final syllable, or separable compound words where stress shifts to the prefix.5 Since a number of exceptions exist for which no rule can be provided,6 the use of a reliable dictionary such as the Madeline du Plessis et al., Pharos Afrikaans-Engels Woordeboek (Pharos Afrikaans-English Dictionary) published in 2005 is highly recommended. Diacritical Marks The four diacritical marks in Afrikaans are: • Acute accent on é Indicates syllabic stress but does not modify the vowel.7 Example: dié [di] (this/that) [End Page 497] Note: Although the spelling of the example word is almost identical to that of the definite article die (the), the acute accent indicates not only that the syllable is emphasized but also that a different meaning of the word is present. • Grave accent on è Indicates that the vowel is stressed, open, and of long duration.8 It is found mostly over short exclamation words. Incidentally, there are only four indigenous Afrikaans words that are compulsorily written with a grave accent; dè [dɛ:] (take this); hè [ɦɛ:] (really?); nè [nɛ:] (n'est-ce pas?/ isn't it? /not so?/yes?); and appèl [aˈpɛ:l] (appeal).9 • Circumflex accents on ê, î, ô, and û All stress the syllable in which they appear and result in long open vowels pronounced [ɛ:], [ə:], [ɔ:], and [œ:], respectively.10 Examples: sê [sɛ:] (say); wîe [ˈvə:ʱə] (wedge); môre [ˈmɔ:rə] (morning/tomorrow) and brûe [ˈbrœ:ʱə] (bridges). The circumflex accent does not appear above a vowels in Afrikaans.11 • Dieresis This occurs on ë, ï, ö, and ü vowels.12 The accent does not function as a German umlaut as no vowel modification occurs. Called a deelteken [ˈdeᵊlˌteᵊkən] in Afrikaans, it serves as a divisional sign or vowel separator. This diacritical mark ensures that the second vowel in the word is not assimilated into the overall sound, but is sounded separately from the vowel preceding it. Syllabification occurs immediately before the dieresis. As a result, the vowel preceding it is always in an open syllable. Example: oë [ˈo:ᵊǝ] (eyes); haël [ˈɦa:əl] (hail) Note: The dieresis can occur on ä in rare circumstances when "in combination with a preceding a, to indicate the start of a new syllable, such as in lilaägtig, Kanaän, and a number of technical (mostly scientific) terms where a suffix starting with a follows a stem ending on a."13 Example: Aäron [aˈa:ron] Afrikaans Vowel Sounds Afrikaans has five pure vowel sounds...

PHONEMIC TRANSCRIPTION ERROR ANALYSIS OF UNDERGRADUATE ENGLISH LANGUAGE STUDENTS IN SOUTHWESTERN NIGERIA

This paper investigates phonemic transcription errors of L2 learners of English, using the undergraduate students of the Department of English Language, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria, as case study and compares performance across levels and phonemes. Twenty (20) randomly selected respondents from each of the four undergraduate levels - a total of eighty (80) participants, were asked to do a phonemic transcription of a researcher-crafted text of two sentences comprising all the 44 English phonemes and one purposively infused triphthong. The Daniel Jones’s (2011) Cambridge Pronouncing Dictionary was used as standard in grading the test. The transcriptions were then closely studied, categorized, and analysed. Findings show that L2 learners and users of English committed errors of Substitution (259, 41%), Addition (87, 13%), Replacement (66, 10%), and Omission of Sounds (33, 05%) out of the 675 transcription errors identified. None (00%) out of the 80 participants was able to transcribe the triphthong sound correctly, amounting to 12% of the total errors; while three specific transcription rules, namely the rule of realizing strong vowel sounds in function words as schwa /ə/ which was abandoned in 150 instances (22% of total errors), mostly in ‘and’ and ‘to’; the rule of not realizing vowels as schwa in content words which they applied indiscriminately; and the rule of double slashes inserted at the beginning and the end of a transcribed sentence which none of them observed. The study also finds 60% of vowel errors and 40% of consonant errors, while out of all 44 phonemes, all respondents got only nine (9) consonant sounds correctly, indicating that respondents face greater difficulty with the English vowel sounds. It is concluded that these errors are due mostly to interference and non-adherence to rules symptomized in incorrect articulation and erroneous transcription. Finally, this study emphasizes the crucial role of error analysis in L2 language learning and development as it provides useful insights into the nature of errors, and points at implications for curriculum improvement, pragmatic methodologies and technology application in language teaching and learning.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0918/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE COMMON PRONUNCIATION ERRORS MADE BY YOUNG LEARNERS

This paper aims to investigate the common pronunciation errors of young learners who study English at a language school as their extra-curriculum. This study adopted the qualitative methodology, using voice recording to allow a deeper insight into the reality of pronunciation errors made by these students. There are 50 participants (aged from 11 to 15 years old) who are studying in Language School A – Branch 2. The students had to read one paragraph in the text book aloud and the researcher recorded their voice. To make the accuracy of the study, the students have already known how to pronounce the words that are used to test the students’ pronouncing ability the research. Based on the analysis, the sounds that were commonly mispronounced by the students were long vowel sounds, plosives consonants and the final consonants. This study will be a useful resource for both teachers and students to enhance the teaching and learning with regard to phonology aspect. However, the small size of dataset means that it is not possible to generalize the whole situation and thus another study with a larger size of sample should be carried out to find out a more accurate answer for the problem.

Probing into the formation of vowel sounds in English words

Learning the sound system of a language is an interesting and challenging task. Understanding the formation of speech sounds requires systematic investigation on the correlation between spellings and their corresponding sounds. This article attempts to probe into the formation of basic vowel sounds of English. The article writer has endeavored to take divergent vowel spellings that form particular vowel sounds. The readers are provided with a brief glimpse about the four term description of the vowel sounds. How an individual vowel sound is produced is described briefly and from where it is produced is shown in the figure. This article is important to the readers who are interested in learning in speech sounds of English.

Common Pronunciation Errors of Chinese-Speaking Students in Malaysia

One of the leading reasons of the high unemployment of Malaysian graduates is their poor command of and inability to communicate in English. Employers affirm that English proficiency is an important hiring criterion, and pronunciation plays an important role in assessing speakers’ language skills in job interviews. This research was conducted to identify the common pronunciation errors of Form 5 higher proficiency Chinese-speaking students and the possible contributing factors to these errors. This study utilised the mixed-method research design, combining elements of quantitative and qualitative research: reading-aloud word-list, questionnaires and interviews. Students were individually asked to read a word list containing 200 words that cover all 24 consonant sounds and 20 vowel sounds in the English language. Results indicated that the 5 most common pronunciation errors according to articulatory types are voiced vs. voicing consonants, fricative consonants, short monophthongs, plosive consonants and final consonant deletion. Outcomes indicated that the main likely factors contributing to students’ pronunciation errors are mother tongue interference, lack of input and usage of the English language and lack of attention to the pronunciation element in the classroom. As this study uncovers common pronunciation errors amongst students, educators may considerably focus on areas making their teaching of pronunciation more effective and conclusive to reduce students’ pronunciation errors and improve their language speaking ability. Keywords: phonetic; proficiency; pronunciation error; second language; speaking

Neural correlates of impaired vocal feedback control in post-stroke aphasia

We used left-hemisphere stroke as a model to examine how damage to sensorimotor brain networks impairs vocal auditory feedback processing and control. Individuals with post-stroke aphasia and matched neurotypical control subjects vocalized speech vowel sounds and listened to the playback of their self-produced vocalizations under normal (NAF) and pitch-shifted altered auditory feedback (AAF) while their brain activity was recorded using electroencephalography (EEG) signals. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were utilized as a neural index to probe the effect of vocal production on auditory feedback processing with high temporal resolution, while lesion data in the stroke group was used to determine how brain abnormality accounted for the impairment of such mechanisms. Results revealed that ERP activity was aberrantly modulated during vocalization vs. listening in aphasia, and this effect was accompanied by the reduced magnitude of compensatory vocal responses to pitch-shift alterations in the auditory feedback compared with control subjects. Lesion-mapping revealed that the aberrant pattern of ERP modulation in response to NAF was accounted for by damage to sensorimotor networks within the left-hemisphere inferior frontal, precentral, inferior parietal, and superior temporal cortices. For responses to AAF, neural deficits were predicted by damage to a distinguishable network within the inferior frontal and parietal cortices. These findings define the left-hemisphere sensorimotor networks implicated in auditory feedback processing, error detection, and vocal motor control. Our results provide translational synergy to inform the theoretical models of sensorimotor integration while having clinical applications for diagnosis and treatment of communication disabilities in individuals with stroke and other neurological conditions.

Shared Vowels in English Loanwords in Arabic: Variation in Similarity-Based Adaptation

This paper investigates vowel adaptation in English-based loanwords by a group of Saudi Arabic speakers, concentrating exclusively on shared vowels between the two languages. It examines 5 long vowels shared by the two vowel systems in terms of vowel quality and vowel duration in loanword productions by 22 participants and checks them against the properties of the same vowels in native words. To this end, the study performs an acoustic analysis of 660 tokens (loan and native vowel sounds) through Praat to measure the first two formants (F1: vowel height and F2: vowel advancement) of each vowel sound at two temporal points of time (T1: the vowel onset and T2: the peak of the vowel) as well as a durational analysis to examine vowel length. It reports that measurements of the first two formants of vowels in native words appear to be stable during the two temporal points while values of the same vowel sounds occurring in loanwords are fluctuating from T1 to T2 and that durational differences exist between loanword vowels in comparison with vowels of native words in such a way that vowels in native words are longer in duration than the same vowels appearing in loanwords..

Deutsche Entlehnungen in der südmährischen Varietät : einige Bemerkungen zum deutsch-tschechischen Sprachkontakt

This article discusses lexical borrowings from German into Czech. It is a continuation of our previous paper which deals with German-Czech language contact in Central Europe (Zeman 2021). Due to the longstanding coexistence of both the Czech and German/Austrian ethnics, lots of German/Austrian loan-words became domesticated in the Czech. A significant language contact area in Central Europe is the contact area which is based on the former centre of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. From this contact area, a remarkable territory emerged in Vienna that was particularly affected by the influence of Czech on German. Although there has been a high degree of inter-national mixing at various stages in history, there was never any real harm done to the essence of either of the two languages. A fascinating aspect is the parallel changes in pronunciation in both languages, for example, in vowel sounds and diphthongs. Today it is generally accepted that, to make these sound changes, both languages had to develop similar internal expectations and that these developed in parallel. Aim is a short description of phonological and morphological adaptation of the German loan words in south Moravian variety. The paper enabled to confirm that the phonological and morphological structures of German loan words in south Moravian variety are more differentiated than those of German.

Ранее не описанный тип гласных: дуфоны

In general phonetics, vowels are considered as speech sounds pronounced without any stricture in the epiglottic cavities, with the lips, tongue, and soft palate playing a special role in their formation. In terms of structure, a distinction is made between monophthongs and diphthongs. We believe vowel formation to be influenced by numerous barriers and regard the role of lips, tongue, and soft palate as secondary one, that is, they provide only additional articulation. Of particular interest is the function of larynx with its different departments and folds. We assign a special role in the formation of vowels to vocal folds. We define vowels as laryngeal-ligamentous glottal-non-glottal and distinguish between laryngeal-rounded and laryngeal-non-rounded sounds. According to this account, a detailed acoustic analysis of linguistic material in different languages (Bashkir, Surgut dialect of Khanty, Orochon, Mennonite language) revealed a new type of vowels that had not been described in the scientific literature before. We termed such vowel sounds dufons with the following definition: dufons are semi-long laryngeal-ligamentous glottal-non-silent (vowel) sounds with a complex structure: they have two vocal components of different types and unequal durations within one core without a glottal insertion (for example, oѣa, oѣъ, eѣa).

Зависимость степени коартикуляции согласного и гласного от типа ударения

The paper evaluates the quantitative impact of prominence (neutral vs emphatic stress) in CV sequences. The study serves the practical needs of speech synthesis and recognition and attempts to fill an important gap as there is insufficient research in the field with regard to the Russian language. We used the locus equation method to assess the degree of CV coarticulation. The experiment was performed on CVCV nonsense words imbedded in the middle position of a carrier phrase. The first syllable of the target words was made prominent both with neutral and emphatic stress. The consonants and vowels were presented by the same consonant and vowel sounds. Russian voiced occlusive bilabial, forelingual and backlingual consonants [b], [d] and [ɡ] were combined with Russian non-palatal vowels [ɛ], [ɑ] and [u] occupying cardinal positions in the Fant triangle. Six male speakers were recorded in a sound attenuated studio using high-quality recording equipment. The total number of tokens N = 486. Praat software was used to measure formant frequencies by means of fast Fourier transformation and linear predictive coding. The experiment showed that linear regression slopes differed both in the Y-intercepts and slope coefficients for the vowels uttered with emphatic and neutral stress. We compared locus equation slopes for CV transitions of the consonants of similar place of obstruction combined with the vowels pronounced with neutral and emphatic stress, which revealed a quantitative difference in the degree of coarticulation of the bilabial and forelingual consonants both in the Y-intercept values and slope coefficients. In case of the backlingual consonant, locus equations differed only in the Y-intercept value, while the slope coefficients were practically the same. The results obtained were interpreted on the basis of existing experimental data for the Russian, English, and Arabic languages.

A Real-Time Oral Cavity Gesture Based Words Synthesizer Using Sensors

The present system experimentally demonstrates a synthesis of syllables and words from tongue manoeuvers in multiple languages, captured by four oral sensors only. For an experimental demonstration of the system used in the oral cavity, a prototype tooth model was used. Based on the principle developed in a previous publication by the author(s), the proposed system has been implemented using the oral cavity (tongue, teeth, and lips) features alone, without the glottis and the larynx. The positions of the sensors in the proposed system were optimized based on articulatory (oral cavity) gestures estimated by simulating the mechanism of human speech. The system has been tested for all English alphabets and several words with sensor-based input along with an experimental demonstration of the developed algorithm, with limit switches, potentiometer, and flex sensors emulating the tongue in an artificial oral cavity. The system produces the sounds of vowels, consonants, and words in English, along with the pronunciation of meanings of their translations in four major Indian languages, all from oral cavity mapping. The experimental setup also caters to gender mapping of voice. The sound produced from the hardware has been validated by a perceptual test to verify the gender and word of the speech sample by listeners, with ∼ 98% and ∼ 95% accuracy, respectively. Such a model may be useful to interpret speech for those who are speech-disabled because of accidents, neuron disorder, spinal cord injury, or larynx disorder.

Опция «Phonology» платформы LingvoDoc как способ верификации (на материале сосьвинского диалекта мансийского языка)

The article presents the results of a study f the field material of the Sosva Mansi dialect of the village of Lombovozh. Its phonological analysis was performed using a modern data processing system Lingvodic. Comparison of the system of vowel sounds obtained as a result of this analysis with other phonetic systems of the Sosva dialect proposed by linguists of the XX century, allowed us to come to the conclusion that it is necessary to further refine the phonetic system of this Mansi dialect. Thus, in the course of the study, inaccuracies in the interpretation of the field material of the village of Lombovozh were revealed, and a number of unique phonemes (o, ɛ, e, i, ə, u) were found that have uncharacteristic indicators for the generally accepted parameters F1 and F2 of the international phonetic alphabet, based mainly on the data of the analysis of European languages.

Проблемы нормализации алтайских топонимов на русском языке

The paper deals with problematic aspects of the standardization of Altai toponyms of the Altai Republic in Russian. The State Catalogue of Geographical Names, legislative acts, topographical maps, and three guidelines for rendering Altai geographical names into Russian were used as research materials. The author considers revisions in different guidelines for rendering Altai geographical names into Russian, namely, the length of Altai vowel sounds, iotated vowels, and compound Altai toponyms. Different considerations are given with regard to the necessity of preserving the length of Altai vowels and on methods of transcribing the iotated vowels. It is noted that the spelling of compound Altai toponyms in Russian was closely connected for a long time with the problem of rendering compound Turkic toponyms into Russian in general. It is also noted that the spelling of compound Altai toponyms in the modern Altai language needs to be clarified. In addition, the author raises a question of the fused spelling of compound toponyms in the Altai language. The paper presents quantitative information about the Russian spelling of Altai toponyms with the phenomena in question. The study of guidelines mentioned above revealed a strong tendency to render linguistic specificity of Altai toponyms in Russian by means of practical transcription. The modern toponymy of the Altai Republic includes numerous geographical names non-compliant with the guideline in force. The spelling of these names reflects the evolving views on practical transcription, the evolution of the Altai alphabet and orthography.

ПОРІВНЯЛЬНА ХАРАКТЕРИСТИКА ГОЛОСНИХ КРИМСЬКОТАТАРСЬКОЇ ТА ТУРЕЦЬКОЇ МОВ

The research is dedicated to the study of the vowel sounds in Crimean Tatar and Turkish languages. The article is relevant and modern. It is an object of interest of many philologists, teachers of Turkic languages, engaged in the training of Crimean Tatar and Turkish pronunciations. The study of a foreign language is always associated with the study of pronunciation, phonetic originality. Knowledge of phonetic phenomena and patterns of their functioning is a prerequisite for a better ability to form and express their thoughts in a foreign language. After all, with the incorrect use of sounds, the meaning of the word can change and, accordingly, there may be problems with communication. A comparative study of the vowels of the Crimean Tatar and Turkish languages is directly related to the development of effective methods of teaching people pronunciation. This study makes it possible to take into account the typological differences between the two languages. The study is based on the material of the literary norms of the modern middle version of the Crimean Tatar language and the Istanbul version of the Turkish language. The objectives of the study are to compare the systems of vowel phonemes of the Crimean Tatar and Turkish languages, their differences. One of the most important tasks is to contribute to the construction of a more effective method of learning the phonetic norms of the studied Turkic languages by consistently and as completely as possible fully identifying typologically similar and specific phenomena in the sound system of the compared languages. The scientific novelty of the work is that it considers modern literary norms of both languages, as well as indicates the specifics of the pronunciation of individual sounds. The reasons for the appearance of long vowels are indicated. The results of the article have theoretical significance, as they make a certain contribution to the typological study of languages, to the theory of language and to the development of relevant problems of phonology. Regarding the practical significance, the results of the work can be used both in subjects for language study and in special courses.

Arabic Language Phoneme Pronunciation Difficulties Among Upper Basic Hausa-Speaking Students in Kano State, Nigeria

In the process of learning a foreign language, there are some indispensable learning problems, especially in the pronunciation aspect. Therefore, this study investigated Arabic Language phoneme pronunciation difficulties among Upper Basic Hausa-speaking Arabic Language students in Kano State, Nigeria. The total population for the study was all Upper Basic Hausa-speaking students of Arabic in Kano State, Nigeria. Two hundred (200) Hausa-speaking Arabic students were sampled from the 3 senatorial districts in the state involving 9 Local Government Areas using multistage sampling procedure. A Pronunciation Test adapted from Adebayo (2010) with a reliability coefficient of 0.75 was used for data collection. Only 180 Pronunciation test that were properly filled and returned were subjected to both descriptive and inferential statistical analysis. The percentage was used to answer the research questions while Chi-square was employed to test the hypotheses postulated at the 0.05 level of significance. The findings of this study revealed that a number of Arabic consonants constitute pronunciation difficulty for the students due to the presence of their corresponding consonant sounds in Hausa language, while all Arabic vowels did not constitute much pronunciation difficulty for students. The findings also revealed that there was no significant difference in the Arabic consonant and vowel sounds that constitute pronunciation difficulties for male and female Upper Basic Hausa-speaking students of Arabic from both public and private schools in Kano State. In the light of these findings, it was recommended among others that, teachers of Arabic language should pay more attention to the various Arabic consonant and vowel phonemes as well as the Arabic syllable patterns that constitute pronunciation difficulties for the Hausa-speaking students of Arabic. The attention of Hausa-speaking students of Arabic should also be drawn to the semantic implications of phonemic replacement, reduction or prolongation.

Significance of Teaching the Pronunciation of Segmental and Suprasegmental Features of English

Pronunciation is an essential and rudimentary facet of language involved in an oral communication. This article attempts to highlight the significance of teaching the pronunciationof segmental and suprasegmental features of English. The segmental features involve consonant and vowel sounds or phonemes, whereas the suprasegmental features include stress, rhythm, intonation, pitch, length etc. The central function of a language is for communication through speech. The speech is sequences of the pronunciation of segmental as well as suprasegmental features. At least, legible pronunciation is essential for anunderstandable communication. Legible pronunciation of any one of Standard British English (SBE), Scottish Standard English and General American English (GAE) is indispensable for the proper and effective oral communication in the global context. Standard British English (SBE) is normally used in context of teaching English to the students in Nepal. It is a difficult task to teach the standard pronunciation to the students whose native tongue is not English, but teaching pronunciation can improve their ways of speaking to some extent. There is not always one-to-one corresponding correlation between spellings and their sounds in words. A spelling may retain different sounds in different phonetic environment. The article writer has pinpointed some instances where the wrong pronunciation of a speaker can lead to a misleading communication. To avoid the wrong or unintelligible pronunciation, it is necessary to teach the intelligible or standard pronunciation of English to our students.

Acoustic Analysis of Kachchi Vowel Sounds: A Descriptive Study of Kachchi Vowels

Kachchi is one of the six dialects of Sindhi spoken widely in India and in the Sindh region of Pakistan. This study aims to analyze the acoustic realization of ten Kachchi vowel sounds. The study is based on ten Kachchi words from ten native Kachchi speakers residing in Sindh, Pakistan. A total of (10×10×3=300) voice samples were analyzed, each recording had all ten Kachchi words recorded by native Kachchi speakers. Each word had three utterances. The data consist of ten Kachchi-Sindhi vowels /i:/, /ɑ/, /ɔ/, /u/, /e/, /ɛ/, /o/, /ɪ/, /ə/, and /ʊ/, were recorded by ten native Kachchi speakers (5 males and 5 females). For the collection of data, convenience sampling was done. Four parameters were considered for the acoustic analysis of Kachchi-Sindhi vowels i.e., vowel quality (F1-F2), fundamental frequency (F0), duration, and stop closure. Vowel quality, durational values of vowels, and stop closures are acoustically described in the study. The acoustic examination further revealed that F0 value was relatively higher amongst females than males. Finally, vowel quality (F1-F2) was analyzed and vowel space of Kachchi-Sindhi vowel sounds was formed. Among the two stop consonants, voiced alveolar /d/ had the highest durational value than voiceless velar /k/.

Using the Phonological Approach to Describe the Vocal System of the Russian Language in the Context of Russian-Spanish Language Contact

The article is devoted to the description of the vocal systems of different languages, considering the functional approach, based on the objective linguistic reality. Today the traditional approach used by research scientists is gradually losing the ability to identify effective models of the phonetic-phonological system of the language, which significantly affects the productivity and research results. The rapid development of new directions of science, the evolution of the language system and all its sublevels indicates the need to adjust the traditional principles of describing phonetic-phonological systems of different languages and imposes special requirements on the relevance, productivity, adequacy and compliance of such descriptions with objective reality. The article analyzes the system of vowels from a phonological point of view - a general classification of vowels through the prism of phonological systematics of meaningful oppositions - considering the articulatory base of the language and the modern orthoepic norm, their changes in the flow of speech, an inextricable connection with consonantism and the prosodic organization of the word. This system is more productive and relevant for solving the problems of modern linguistics. The approbation of the vocal system of the Russian language, obtained within the framework of the corrected approach to the description of systems, is carried out in conditions of language contact, since the problems of language contact are interconnected with the main tasks of the theory of language in the framework of the comparative historical description and comparison of languages. Phonetic interference, together with a foreign accent, is a consequence of the contact between the native language and the target language. Phonetic interference, being an integral part of linguistic contact, causes a violation of the sound side of the language of foreigners. After analyzing the descriptions of the vocal systems of the Spanish and Russian languages, made within the framework of the adjusted functional approach, it is possible to highlight the main features of the Spanish accent in the pronunciation of Russian vowel sounds, and the analysis of the practical material confirms all the selected features and demonstrates the high efficiency of the above approach. The results of this work can be used in various theoretical courses, as well as to create systems for automatic synthesis and speech recognition.

Kemampuan Pelafalan Bunyi Vokal Dalam Bahasa Jerman

Abstract. This research is descriptive quantitative. This research aims to obtain data andinformation about the ability of students in the pronunciation of long and shor vowel sounds in german by students X IPA 4 SMAN 14 Gowa. As well, to obtain about the factors supporting and inhibitig that influence pronunciation of German vowel sounds. The data of this research was obtained through a pronunciation test and questionnaire. The population of this research by students X IPA 4 class at SMAN 14 Gowa with the total of 36 students. The sampel of this research is 20 students obtained using random technique. The result of the pronunciatin test showed an average score of 64.4 and were in the enaugh category. The data analysis to obtain in the results, namely the abilty to pronunciation vowel sounds in German by students X IPA 4 SMAN 14 Gowa is 64.4 or enaugh category. From the results of the distribution of the questionnaire data obtained that there are two factors that play an important role in influencing students' listening skills, namely: 1) Supporting factors, the teacher corrects the sudent’s pronounciation of vowel sound. 2) The inhibiting factor, students think that German is difficult.

Sonic Visualiser: Visualisation, Analysis, and Annotation of Music Audio Recordings

Sonic Visualiser: Visualisation, Analysis, and Annotation of Music Audio Recordings