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Does vowel inventory density affect vowel-to-vowel coarticulation?
1Department of Linguistics and Modern Languages, Leung Kau Kui Building, Chinese University of Hong, Shatin, Hong Kong. peggymok@cuhk.edu.hk
Language and Speech
|August 3, 2013
Summary
Vowel inventory size does not predict vowel-to-vowel coarticulation across languages. This study found similar coarticulation in Mandarin and Cantonese, challenging the output constraints hypothesis.
Area of Science:
- Phonetics and Phonology
- Linguistic Acoustics
- Speech Science
Background:
- The output constraints hypothesis posits that languages with crowded vowel spaces exhibit less vowel-to-vowel coarticulation to prevent perceptual confusion.
- Mandarin and Cantonese possess similarly crowded allophonic vowel spaces, despite differing phonemic inventories.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test the output constraints hypothesis by comparing vowel-to-vowel coarticulation in Mandarin and Cantonese.
- To investigate the influence of vowel inventory size on the degree of coarticulation.
Main Methods:
- Recorded native speakers of Beijing Mandarin and Cantonese producing target vowel sequences.
- Measured and normalized F1 and F2 frequencies at vowel edges and midpoints.
- Analyzed coarticulation patterns in relation to vowel stress and directionality (carryover vs. anticipatory).
Main Results:
- No significant difference in vowel-to-vowel coarticulation (F1, F2) was found between Mandarin and Cantonese.
- Unstressed vowels showed greater coarticulation than stressed vowels.
- Carryover coarticulation was more prevalent than anticipatory coarticulation, especially in unstressed vowels.
Conclusions:
- Vowel inventory size does not appear to be a predictor of vowel-to-vowel coarticulation.
- The output constraints hypothesis's assumptions may not adequately explain language-specific coarticulation patterns.
- Syntagmatic relationships play a crucial role in understanding coarticulation phenomena.
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