Acoustic Cues

Question 1

What is an acoustic cue for bilabial place?

Answer 1

Rising F2

Question 2

What is an acoustic cue for alveolar place?

Answer 2

Rising, falling or flat F2 pattern depending on vowel context

Question 3

What is an acoustic cue for velar place?

Answer 3

Falling F2

Question 4

How do voiced and voiceless fricatives differ in frication?

Answer 4

Voiceless fricatives = longer and stronger frication
Voiced fricatives = shorter and weaker frication
Voiceless fricatives in final position = shorter preceding vowel, longer frication
Voiced fricatives in final positions = longer preceding vowel, shorter frication

Question 5

What is an affricate?

Answer 5

A hybrid set of consonants that shares features with both plosives and fricatives. Closure phase with a GRADUAL release, stronger frication.

Question 6

Acoustic cues for /l/?

Answer 6

Lateral approximant

• lateral constriction
• lower amplitude
• faster transitions
• rising F2 transition

Question 7

Acoustic cues for /r/?

Answer 7

Alveolar approximant

• retroflexed alveolar constriction
• lower amplitude
• low, F1, F2 and F3
• shorter transitions
• rising F2 and F3 transiitons

Question 8

Acoustic cues for /w/?

Answer 8

Labia;-velar approximant

• constriction at both places
• low F1 and low F2

Question 9

Acoustic cues for /j/?

Answer 9

Palatal approximant

• palatal constriction
• low F1, high F2

Question 10

What is a nasal?

Answer 10

Oral closure (secondary filter) but air flows through nasal cavity (primary filter) to generate a NASAL MURMUR = low frequency due to resonance. Nasal place of articulation is cued by formant transitions.

Question 11

Sociophonetic characteristics of /r/?

Answer 11

• changes in pronunciation

Weird v in Derby, Newcastle