Airstream Mechanisms Sept 23/25

Question 1

Place and manner of articulation position the vocal tract into position to shape airflow but what is the other vital component

Answer 1

Airflow

Question 2

air movement provides the power to mak noise in speech, where does this noise come from?

Answer 2

Vibrating flexible parts:
- trills - tongue tip, uvula, lips
vocal folds
Sudden equalization of pressure:
stop releases various suction noises.

Question 3

What creates the pop sound in stops

Answer 3

the air being releaseed from a pressurized space

Question 4

What are the three ways we can get air moving in your vocal tract

Answer 4

Pulmonic
- using the lungs: pulmonic airstream
Non pulmonic
- using the vocal folds: glottalic airstream
- using the tongue: velaric airstream mechanism.

Question 5

what is boyles law?

Answer 5

pressure and volume are inversly proportional (assuming temperature doesn’t change)
(pressure goes up, volume goes down, and vice versa)v

Question 6

volumes of lung to lip (vocal tract) full vs empty and average

Answer 6

-empty 1500cm3
-full 6500cm3
- average 3000cm3

Question 7

Poll Question:
When all other factors are equal, which sound is produced with the smallest volume of air from the lungs to the place of constriction.
a. t
b. q
c. p
d. g

Answer 7

b. uvular stops - the smalled volume of air to the lungs because it is the closest to the lungs.

Question 8

By pressure what do we mean and what is the typical unit vs the phoneticians unit

Answer 8

the force per unit area and the typical unit is dyne, we use cmh20.

Question 9

as phoneticians we are looking for relative differences and not absolute values. what are we comparing.

Answer 9

difference in levels of pressure between vocal tract and atmospheric pressure

Question 10

How do we create pressure equalization in stops and what makes the sounds different.

Answer 10

• we create a complete blockage
• pressure builds up at the back of the constriction
• we release the blockade; pressure equalizes on the 2 sides (creating burst sound)
• depending on how much pressure is built the sound is different (different burst)

Question 11

what is the formula for volume and pressure.

Answer 11

P1 x V1 = P2 x V2

Question 12

What is atmospheric pressure (P1)

Answer 12

1030cm H20

Question 13

What is the worlds most widely used airstream mechanism

Answer 13

pulmonic egressives sounds

Question 14

how are pulmonic egressive sounds created

Answer 14

pulmonic egressive speech sounds are created by modulating the flow of air coming out of the lungs

Question 15

what are pulmonic ingressive sounds

Answer 15

sounds made by air moving into the lungs

Question 16

how do we use pulmonic ingressive sounds in language

Answer 16

there are not many words made but there are a lot of paralinguistic meanings using pulmonic ingressives like acting surprised, however there are som reported affirmatives that can be ingressive in Scandinavian languages

Question 17

why are pulmonic ingressive less common?

Answer 17

it takes more energy, it is much easier to expand the diaphragm (exhale) than contract it when you talk you spend a lot of time exhaling.

Question 18

What are glottalic egressive sounds

Answer 18

Ejective’s have a glottalic egressive airstream

Question 19

How do you make a glottalic egressive/ ejective

Answer 19

1. make closures in oral and glottal places
2. move the larynx up
3. release the oral closure
4. release the glottal closure.
   (timing of the last 2 steps is crucial)a

Question 20

are ejectives voiced or voiceless

Answer 20

ejectives are voiceless by definition (p’ t’ k’ q’ )

Question 21

how does pressure and volume make sound in ejectives

Answer 21

(- volume decreases as you raise the larynx
- the pressure between the 2 closures get equalized as soon as the closure is released.)

Question 22

where are ejectives popular in english

Answer 22

a lot of British and Australians use the glottalic egressive in when pronouncing k.

Question 23

What are glottalic ingressives

Answer 23

implosives have a glottalic ingressive airstream.

Question 24

how do you make a glottalic ingressive (implosive)

Answer 24

1. Make an absolute oral closure and a partial glottal closure.
2. lower the larynx
3. release the oral closure
   release the glottal closure.

Question 25

are implosives voiced or voicless

Answer 25

implosives are voiced by defintion

Question 26

How are glottalic ingressives variable

Answer 26

1. they are variable depending on the extent of the lowering of the larynx. This creates different strength and quality of the burst - these bursts are generally low amplitude.
2. the strength of the voicing in the vocal folds can also vary (fully voiced, creaky voiced, even some reported voiceless)

Question 27

what are velaric ingressives

Answer 27

clicks

Question 28

how do you make a click

Answer 28

1. tongue back makes a velar closure and tongue tip makes a closure further forward in the oral cavity make a pocket of pressure (since the tongue is making the movement of the air bilabials don’t make a double closure.)
2. lower the tongue body, while maintaining a sealed pocket of air.
3. release anterior oral closure (lowering the pressure by increasing volume)
4. release velar closure

Question 29

which non-pulmonic sounds can be nasalized

Answer 29

only clicks (can’t create pressure needed for implosives)

Question 30

what are all the non- pulmonic sounds

Answer 30

1. Glottalic egressives: ejectives
2. Glottalic ingressives: implosives
3. Velar ingressives: clicks