Vowels Flashcards
What are vowels?
Vowels are sounds pronounced with an open vocal tract, associated with a steady state articulatory configuration and a steady state acoustic pattern
Give examples of the 12 monophthongs in English
There are 12 monophthongs in English (i,ɪ,e,æ,ɑ,ɒ,ɔ,ʊ,u,ʌ,ɜ,ə). There are however many more used in other languages.
How are vowels characterised?
with a simple set of acoustic descriptors (the frequencies of the first three formants)
•. A single vowel can be represented as a single point in a 3 dimensional space defined by F1,F2 and F3
What does it mean by vowels having ‘steady state’
They have a steady state articulatory configuration and steady state acoustic pattern
How did Lehiste and Peterson find that vowels differ from one another?
- Have inherent differences in duration (long /tense vowels have greater durations than short or lax vowels. Open jaw vowels (low /open vowels) are longer than the close jaw vowels (high or close vowels)
- Vowels are produced in context with other sounds , they differ in their formant trajectories : tense vowels have short vowel to consonant transitions and long steady states whilst lax vowels have proportionately long offglides and short steady states.
How are formant frequencies related to vowels?
These are the primary cue for vowel perception. The difference between vowel sounds are independent of the larynx. The primary acoustic characteristic of vowels is the location of the formant frequencies, specifically, the first three formants.
What is the F1-F2 chart?
the most widely used and best known acoustic description of a class of speech sounds.
.
•Many English vowels can be distinguished from the first two formants alone.
What are the two rules related to constrictions and F1?
Oral constrictions and pharyngeal constrictions
what happens in an oral constriction relating to F1?
- F1 frequency lowered by constriction in the front half of the oral part of the vocal tract , the greater constriction the more F1 is lowered. (e.g open for [a] but closed for [i]
what happens in a pharyngeal constriction relating to F1?
1.he frequency of F1 is raised by constriction of the pharynx and the greater the constriction the more F1 is raised. E.g least constricted =[o] but most constricted = [a as in part]
What are the two rules relating to F2?
Back tongue constriction and front tongue constriction
What happens in a back tongue restriction with regards to the F2?
- The frequency of F2 is lowered by a back tongue constriction and greater the constriction the more F2 is lowered. E.g back vowel [u] as a lower frequency (about 800 hz) whilst the neutral vowel is 1500 hz
- [o] has less lip rounding and so less constriction- therefore higher frequency for [o] than [u] (around 900 hz)
What happens in Front tongue constriction regarding F2?
• the frequency of F2 is raised by a front tongue constriction [E] vs [i] = rise in F2
•Go in order from the least tongue constriction (ae) to the greatest for (i)
ie. ae, E, e, i
What does the effect of lip rounding have on the formants?
- The frequencies of all formants are lowered by lip-rounding
- The more the rounding the more the constrictions and the more the formants are lowards.
- Lip-rounding plays an important part in the back vowels and involves a series of lip positions
- Goes from [a] , [or] [o] and [u]
What did Pickett find with regards to noise effects on the perception of vowels?
• In noisy situations the second formant is apparently compromised more than the first formant - therefore easily confusable vowels are more likely to be ones that share similar F1 characteristics (e.g i and u , e and o and E and or , a and ah ) the front vowels and the back vowels therefore correspond.
