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The strong/weak syllable distinction in English
B D Fear1, A Cutler, S Butterfield
1Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
|March 1, 1995
Summary
English syllables have distinct vowel sounds. This study found unstressed, unreduced vowels differ acoustically from stressed or reduced vowels, yet listeners perceive them closer to stressed vowels.
Area of Science:
- Phonetics
- Speech Acoustics
- Psychoacoustics
Background:
- English syllable structure involves distinctions based on vowel quality and stress.
- Unstressed, unreduced vowels present a unique category, critical for understanding phonological distinctions.
- Previous research lacks a comprehensive acoustic and perceptual analysis of this vowel category.
Purpose of the Study:
- To acoustically characterize unstressed, unreduced vowels in English.
- To investigate how listeners perceive these vowels in relation to stressed and reduced vowels.
- To determine the acoustic cues listeners use for vowel categorization.
Main Methods:
- 12 speakers produced sentences with initial vowels varying in stress and reduction.
- Acoustic measurements (duration, intensity, F0, spectral characteristics) were taken.
- Cross-splicing experiments and listener acceptability ratings were conducted.
Main Results:
- Unstressed, unreduced vowels showed significant acoustic differences from both stressed and reduced vowels.
- Listener ratings indicated reduced acceptability primarily when reduced vowels were interchanged with others.
- Acoustic features like duration, intensity, and spectral characteristics correlated with perceived acceptability.
Conclusions:
- English unstressed, unreduced vowels possess unique acoustic properties.
- Listeners perceive unstressed, unreduced vowels as distinct but group them perceptually with stressed vowels.
- Acoustic evidence does not support a strict binary distinction, yet listeners impose one perceptually.