Phonetics Final

Good luck on exams!!

Joseph Fourier

Joseph Fourier

Inventor of the Fourier Tranform (sine waves thing)

Jean-Pierre Rouselette

Founder of experimental phonetics

Vertical axis on spectrogram

frequency

Horizontal axis on spectrogram

time

Darkness on spectrogram

Intensity

Spectrograms

visual representation of the spectrum of sound. It displays frequency and intensity of a wave over time

Broadband Spectrogram

Excellent time resolution but individual harmonics not easily distinguished

Narrowband Spectrograms

Poor time resolution but they are able to pick out individual harmonics

Primary articulatory organs

Lungs, trachea, larynx, pharynx, oral cavity

Obsruents

oral stops (plosives), fricatives, affricates

Sonorants

Nasals (n,m) , approximants (liquids, glides) , vowels

Approximants

Glides /w, j/ , Liquids /l, r/

Sibilants

/s, z, ʒ, ʃ / (fricatives)

Free Variation

a difference in sound found in the language environment across speakers which does not alter the meaning of the word

Diphthongs (2 kinds)

Falling (sound intensity decreases) Rising (sound intensity increases)

How does sound propagate through the air?

sound source creates vibrations in surrounding medium (ex: air).

source continues to vibrate the medium, the vibrations propagate away from the source at the speed of sound, forming a sound wave.

Name 2 aspects of Sine Wave

Amplitude (loudness) and Pitch

What is frequency measured by?

Frequency is measured by cycles per second

VOT

Voice Onset Timing: the time at which voicing occurs in relation to the release of the stop

Degree of stricture

how constricted or obstructed your sound is

Oral stop (plosive)

closure of both oral and nasal passages with no air passing out through the mouth

– voiceless: no sound from the onset until the release

– voiced: sound is heard from the onset

Fricatives

- constriction in oral cavity allows air to pass, but closed enough to cause frication \n – occurs at ALL places of articulation

Affricates

– a combination of sounds: – a stop + a fricative (of same place of articulation & voicing)

Nasals

– air passes out through the nasal passage, not the mouth – can be syllabic

Phonation types (when glottis is vibrating)

Falsetto, Creaky voice or vocal fry, Breathy voice or murmur, and Modal voicing (normal range)

Suprasegmentals

Changing speech to denote different or exaggerated meaning other than the consonantal and vocalic components

• Stress [ˈpɹɛˌzn̩t] vs. [ˌpɹiˈzɛ̃nt]

• Length

• Pitch – Tone (Mandarin, Thai) – Intonation (question vs. statement)

Intonation

Rising and falling of pitch over more than one sound segment.

Tone

Rising and falling of pitch over a sound segment (vowel)

Motor theory of perception

Proposed explanation that links speech production with speech perception

Back vowels will have a ____ frequency (pitch)

lower or decreased

A voiced fricative will show what on the spectrogram?

A dark band at the bottom

What is EGG?

Electroglottography is a device that measures the tightness of the vocal folds using a mild electric current

On the spectrogram, F1 represents ?

Height (lower value = higher tongue placement)

On the spectrogram, F2 represents ?

Advancement (higher value = more front vowel)

On the spectrogram, F3 represents ?

Roundness (lower value = rounder shape of lips)

Which nasal consonant is characterized by falling f2?

/m/

Which nasal consonant is characterized by a level f2?

/n/

Which nasal consonant is characterized by rising f2?

/ŋ/

What is a characteristic of Rhotic sounds on a spectrogram?

a steep falling of F3 below 2000Hz.

Name this secondary articulation

Palatalisation

Name this secondary articulation

Labialisation

Name this secondary articulation: [lʔ]

Pharyngelisation

Name this secondary articulation: [ɫ]

Velarisation

What is the difference between amplitude and intensity?

Amplitude is the measure of energy of a wave. Intensity is the amount of energy over a specific area

If voicing is initiated between stop occlusion and stop release, VOT is considered ___.

negative

If voicing is initated at stop release, VOT is considered to be at ___.

zero

If voicing is initiated after the stop release, VOT is considered ___.

positive

What are the 4 states in which the glottis is NOT vibrating?

Glottal stops, open breathing, voiceless consonants, and whispering.

How is falsetto able to create higher than normal pitch?

Vocal folds are stretched tightly so that they become very thin. Resulting vibrations can have over twice the frequency as modal voicing.

What is a syllable?

Phonological unit containing one or more sound segments.

What does it mean to “stress” a sound segment?

accentuates or emphasizes a certain syllable

What does it mean to “lengthen” a sound segment?

Makes the duration of a consonant or vowel longer.

[ˈpɹɛzənt] is an example of ___ stress.

primary

[kasːa] is an example of what type of articulation?

Lengthening

What is the Northern cities vowel shift?

a change in the vowel pattern, occurring right now in large NA cities. AKA Canadian raising because the diphthongs raise to mid vowels when they precede voiceless obstruents