Quiz 2/Final: Consonants + Vowels Flashcards
Features of vowels: /i/ “see”;
height of tongue, lateral placement of tongue, muscles involved, cavity shapes, lip posture, resonance/F1/F2
- high vowel: tongue body is elevated into the oral cavity, leaving pharynx open
- front vowel: high point of tongue is anterior, behind alveolar ridge
- muscles: genioglossus muscle is active to draw tongue up and forward
- cavity shapes:large pharynx, small oral cavity
- lip posture: tensed, retracted
- F1 (back or pharyngeal cavity resonance) is low
- F2 (front or oral cavity resonance) is high
Features of /a/ “spa”
height of tongue, lateral placement of tongue, muscles involved, cavity shapes, lip posture, resonance/F1/F2
- low vowel: jaw, tongue lowered
- back vowel: tongue retracted into larynx
- anterior belly of digastric muscle is active to lower jaw
- hyoglossus muscle is active to draw tongue down and back
- cavity shapes: small pharyngeal cavity, large oral cavity
- F1 (back cavity resonance) is high
- F2 (front cavity resonance) is relatively low
Features of /u/ “you”
height of tongue, lateral placement of tongue, muscles involved, cavity shapes, lip posture, resonance/F1/F2
- high vowel: tongue is raised out of pharynx
- back vowel: tongue dorsum is raised and retracted toward velum
- rounded vowel: lips rounded and protruded
- styloglossus muscle is active to raise and back tongue
- orbicularis oris muscle is active to round lips
- cavity shapes: large pharynx, large oral cavity, overall vocal tract lengthened
- F1 relatively low
- F2 relatively low
What are the major differences between vowel and consonant production? (source, filter)
- Constrictions used to produce sounds are usually more extreme than those for vowels
- various configurations of the vocal tract generate different combos of resonant frequencies (formants) for each sound
- Differences in the ways the sources of sound are used in the production of consonants
- vowels usually produced only w/ periodic sound source, consonants may use aperiodic or combo
Sonorants and obstruents: differences
- Sonorants:
- free airflow: articulation shapes vocal tract cavities
- characterized mainly by formant frequencies
- have a periodic laryngeal source (all voiced)
- Obstruents:
- blocked or restricted airflow
- have aperiodic sound sources in upper vocal tract
- can be voiced OR voiceless
Sound sources in consonants
Voiced consonants (includes all sonorants: nasals, liquids, glides): periodic laryngeal source
Voiceless consonants:
-supraglottal noise sources:
-aperiodic laryngeal source: /h/ or aspiration
What are approximants?
- aka semivowels
- Liquids [l,r]
- Glides [j, w]
- limited articulatory constrictions that alter resonant frequencies–similar to vowels
- classification as consonants is based on syllable position:
- consonants placed on periphery
- vowels form nucleus
Glides: /j/; tongue position, acoustic features
- Production similar to /i/
- high front tongue
- genioglossus active
- Formant values similar to /i/
- Low F1
- High F2
Glides: /w/; tongue position, acoustic features
- Production similar to /u/
- high back tongue, rounded lips
- styloglossus, orbicularis oris active
- Formant values similar to /u/
- Low F1
- Low F2
Liquids: /l/, tongue position, acoustic features
- similar to /r/
- Tongue:
- tongue tip contact with alveolar ridge, sides of tongue down: lateral
- F3 level
- Can function as syllable nuclei (syllabic /l/ in “little”
Liquids: /r/, tongue position, lip shape, acoustic features
- similar to /l/
- Tongue: no tongue tip contact w/ alveolar ridge:
- often retroflexed: tip raised toward ridge, bent backwards
- Lips: often rounded
- F3 low
How does production vary with the liquids?
- Production varies w/ syllable position in English:
- /l/:
- Syllable initial: tongue dorsum is low, light /l/
- Syllable final: tongue dorsum is high: dark /l/
- /r/:
- Syllable-final [r] is often vocalized or realized as an extension of the preceding vowel, it colors the vowel that follows:
- ex “or”, “car”
- dialectical differences in /r/: coloring i.e. Boston accent “pahk yah cah”
Nasals and the VP Port:
- Nasals require open VP Port (lowered velum):
- Levator Palatini relaxed
- Palatoglossus may actively lower velum
- Nasal cavities form resonant chamber
- In nasal stops, the oral cavity is blocked at the same place of articulation as for the stops:
- at the lips [m]
- at the alveolar ridge [n]
- at the soft palate [ng]
Nasal stops: acoustics
- Opening the port creates a larger resonant cavity:
- in terms of frequency, the larger the resonator the lower the frequencies to which it responds
- results in low frequency nasal resonance (200-300 hz in males)
- Amplitude is low:
- large resonating space leads to high damping
- soft walls of nasal cavities absorb energy
- occluded oral cavity causes airflow to be radiated through the nostrils, causing it to be attenuated because of the small openings
Sibilant fricatives: alveolar fricatives /s, z/
Tongue:
-forms constriction at alveolar ridge
-air flows through midline groove of tongue against teeth
-short anterior cavity amplifies frequencies
(frication (noise) is stronger than in non-sibilants)
