Articulation and Sound Change in Romance
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Effects of Phonetic and Inventory Constraints in the Spirantization of Intervocalic Voiced Stops: Comparing Two Different Measurements of Energy Change
Effects of Phonetic and Inventory Constraints in the Spirantization of Intervocalic Voiced Stops: Comparing two Different Measurements of Energy Change. Marta Ortega-LLebaria University of Northern Colorado E-mail: [email protected] This paper extends the same hypothesis to the phenomenon ABSTRACT of spirantization by investigating the interaction of phonetic factors with inventory constraints. First, it This paper examines the effect of inventory constraints and examines whether the phonetic factors of stress and vowel the phonetic factors of stress and vowel context in the context, which had an effect in the lenition of Spanish lenition of English and Spanish intervocalic voiced stops. intervocalic /g/ [3], had also an effect in English Five native speakers of American English and five native intervocalic /g/ and in Spanish and English intervocalic /b/. speakers of Caribbean Spanish were recorded saying Secondly, this paper studies the interaction of inventory bi-syllabic words containing intervocalic /b/ and /g/. The constraints with phonetic factors. Inventory constraints intervocalic consonants were evaluated according to two were aimed to preserve the system of sound contrasts of a measures of energy, i.e. RMS ratio, and speed of consonant language while phonetic factors provided contexts that release. Repeated Measures ANOVAS in each measure favored consonant lenition. Hypothetically, a consonant indicated that for both languages, /b/ and /g/ were most will become lenited in a favorable context only if the lenited in trochee words, and that /g/ was most spirantized resulting sound will not impair a contrast of the language. when flanked by /i/ and /u/ vowels. Inventory constraints For example, in English, /b/ contrasts with the voiced moderated the degree of consonant lenition displayed in the fricative /v/ while in Spanish, it does not. -
Dissimilation in Grammar and the Lexicon 381
In Paul de Lacy (ed.), The Cambridge Handbook of Phonology, CUP. ~ssive' 16 hono main, uages Ii and Dissimilation in grammar .t sibi l1eme- and the lexicon John D. Alderete Stefan A. Frisch 1992). s har peech L1 and form 16.1 Introduction ltivity Dissimilation is the systematic avoidance of two similar sound structures in this is relatively close proximity to each other. It is exhibited in static generalizations over the lexicon, where combinations of similar sounds are systematically lspar avoided in lexical items, like the avoidance oftwo homorganic consonants in ~such Arabic roots (Greenberg 1950; McCarthy 1994). Dissimilation is also observed in l than phonological processes in which the target and trigger become less alike for by phonologically. In Tashlhiyt Berber, for example, two primary labial conson ction; ants in the same derived stem trigger a process ofdelabialization: Im-kaddabl ~ [n-kaddab] 'consider a liar (reciprocal)' (Elmedlaoui 1992, Jebbour 1985). Dissimilation has been an important empirical testing ground for many of the central research paradigms in modern linguistics. For example, dissimilatory phenomena have been crucial to the development of theories offeature geometry and feature specification in autosegmental phonology (McCarthy 1986, 1988, Padgett 1995, Yip 1989b). As the results emerging from this research were incorporated into constraint-based theories of phonology like Optimality Theory (Prince & Smolensky 2004), dissimilation became an important problem in the study of phonological markedness and constraint composition (Alderete 1997, Ito & Mester 2003). In a different line of research, dissimilation has been argued to have its seeds in the phonetics of sound change, restricted by the same vocal tract constraints involved in speech production and perception (Ohala 1981 et seq.). -
Long-Distance /R/-Dissimilation in American English
Long-Distance /r/-Dissimilation in American English Nancy Hall August 14, 2009 1 Introduction In many varieties of American English, it is possible to drop one /r/ from cer- tain words that contain two /r/s, such as su(r)prise, pa(r)ticular, gove(r)nor, and co(r)ner. This type of /r/-deletion is done by speakers who are basically ‘rhotic’; that is, who generally do not drop /r/ in any other position. It is a type of dissimi- lation, because it avoids the presence of multiple rhotics within a word.1 This paper has two goals. The first is to expand the description of American /r/-dissimilation by bringing together previously published examples of the process with new examples from an elicitation study and from corpora. This data set reveals new generalizations about the phonological environments that favor dissimilation. The second goal is to contribute to the long-running debate over why and how dissimilation happens, and particularly long-distance dissimilation. There is dis- pute over whether long-distance dissimilation is part of the grammar at all, and whether its functional grounding is a matter of articulatory constraints, processing constraints, or perception. Data from American /r/-dissimilation are especially im- portant for this debate, because the process is active, it is not restricted to only a few morphemes, and it occurs in a living language whose phonetics can be studied. Ar- guments in the literature are more often based on ancient diachronic dissimilation processes, or on processes that apply synchronically only in limited morphological contexts (and hence are likely fossilized remnants of once wider patterns). -
Begus Gasper
Post-Nasal Devoicing and a Probabilistic Model of Phonological Typology Gašper Beguš [email protected] Abstract This paper addresses one of the most contested issues in phonology: the derivation of phonological typology. The phenomenon of post-nasal devoicing brings new insights into the standard typological discussion. This alternation — “unnatural” in the sense that it operates against a universal phonetic tendency — has been reported to exist both as a sound change and as synchronic phonological process. I bring together eight identified cases of post-nasal devoicing and point to common patterns among them. Based on these patterns, I argue that post-nasal devoicing does not derive from a single atypical sound change, but rather from a set of two or three separate sounds changes, each of which is natural and well- motivated. When these sound changes occur in combination, they give rise to apparent post-nasal devoicing. Evidence from both historical and dialectal data is brought to bear to create a model for explaining future instances of apparent unnatural alternations. By showing that sound change does not operate against universal phonetic tendency, I strengthen the empirical case for the generalization that any single instance of sound change is always phonetically motivated and natural, but that a combination of such sound changes can lead to unnatural alternations in a language’s synchronic grammar. Based on these findings, I propose a new probabilistic model for explaining phonological typology within the channel bias approach: on this model, unnatural alternations will always be rare, because the relative probability that a combination of sound changes will occur collectively is always smaller than the probability that a single sound change will occur. -
(1'9'6'8'""159-83 and in Later Publica- (1972 539
FINAL WEAKENING AND RELATED PHENOMENA1 Hans Henrich Hock University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 1: Final devoicing (FD) 1.1. In generative phonology, it is a generally accepted doctrine that, since word-final devoicing (WFD) is a very common and natural phenomenon, the ob- verse phenomenon, namely word-final voicin~ should not be found in natural language. Compare for instance Postal 1968 184 ('in the context----'~ the rules always devoice rather than voice'), Stampe 1969 443-5 (final devoicing comes about as the result of a failure t~ suppress the (innate) process of final devoicing), Vennemann 1972 240-1 (final voicing, defined as a process increasing the complexity of affected segment~ 'does not occur.')o 1.2 One of the standard examples for WFD is that of German, cf. Bund Bunde [bUnt] [bUndeJ. However Vennemann (1'9'6'8'""159-83 and in later publica- tions) and, following him, Hooper (1972 539) and Hyman (1975 142) have convincingly demonstrated that in Ger- man, this process applies not only word-finally, but also syllable-finally, as in radle [ra·t$le]3 'go by bike' (in some varieties of German). The standard view thus must be modified so as to recognize at least one other process, namely syllable-final devoicing (SFD). (For a different eA""Planation of this phenomenon compare section 2.3 below.) 2· Final voicing (or tenseness neutralization) 2 1 A more important argument against the stan- dard view, however, is that, as anyone with any train- ing in Indo-European linguistics can readily tell, there is at least one 5roup, namely Italic, where there is evidence for the allegedly impossible final voicing, cf PIE *siyet > OLat. -
What Is and What Is Not an Articulatory Gesture in Speech Production: the Case of Lateral, Rhotic and (Alveolo)Palatal Consonants
What is and what is not an articulatory gesture in speech production: The case of lateral, rhotic and (alveolo)palatal consonants Daniel Recasens [email protected] Universitát Autònoma de Barcelona Gradus Revista Brasileira de Fonologia de Laboratório Vol. 1, nº 1 Dezembro de 2016 https://gradusjournal.com Bibtex: @article{recasens2016what, author = {Daniel Recasens}, journal = {Gradus}, month = {dec}, number = {1}, pages = {23–42}, title = {What is and what is not an articulatory gesture in speech production: The case of lateral, rhotic and (alveolo)palatal consonants}, volume = {1}, year = {2016}} Este texto pode ser livremente copiado, sob os termos da licença Creative Commons Atribuição-NãoComercial 4.0 Interna- https://creativecommons.org/ cional (CC BY-NC 4.0). licenses/by-nc/4.0/deed.pt_BR Gradus 1 (1) 24 Abstract Articulatory data are provided showing that, in lan- guages in which they have phonemic status, (alve- olo)palatal consonants, dark /l/ and the trill /r/ are articulated with a single lingual gesture instead of two independent tongue front and tongue body gestures. They are therefore simple, not complex segments. It is argued that tongue body lowering and retraction for dark /l/ and the trill /r/ is associated with manner of articulation re- quirements and with requirements on the implementation of the darkness percept in the case of dark /l/, and that tongue body raising and fronting for (alveolo)palatals results naturally from the contraction of the genioglossus muscle. These consonant units resemble truly complex palatalized and velarized or pharyngealized dentoalveo- lars regarding lingual coniguration and kinematics, as well as coarticulatory efects and phonological and sound change processes. -
The Grammar of Coarticulation Edward Flemming Department of Linguistics & Philosophy, MIT
The Grammar of Coarticulation Edward Flemming Department of Linguistics & Philosophy, MIT 1. Introduction It is well established that coarticulatory patterns are language-specific and therefore must be specified in the grammars of languages (e.g. Beddor, Harnsberger & Lindemann, 2002, Clumeck, 1976, Huffman, 1988, Keating & Cohn, 1988, Magen, 1984, Manuel, 1990, Manuel & Krakow, 1984, Oh, 2002), but there is less consensus on the nature of the grammar of coarticulation. Here we use evidence from the typology of coarticulatory patterns to argue for a model based on weighted constraints. Through two case studies we see that coarticulation shows typological variation that is parallel in many respects to phonological typology: there are common or universal cross-linguistic patterns, such as F0 transitions between adjacent tones, that point to universal constraints, such as physiological limitations on rates of F0 change, but language- specific variation in the details of coarticulation, e.g. variation in the timing of F0 transitions, shows that languages differ in their responses to these constraints. I propose that this is due to interaction between conflicting constraints: constraints on rate of change interact with perceptually motivated constraints requiring the realization of phonetic targets. These constraints can conflict, with conflicts being resolved by constraint prioritization. The relative priority of constraints can differ from language to language resulting in language-specific patterns of coarticulation. This is essentially the same approach to the analysis of typology that has been successful in Optimality Theoretic analyses of phonology (Prince & Smolensky, 2004). This account of coarticulation has implications for analyses that attempt to explain phonological generalizations in terms of phonologization of coarticulation. -
Lenition and Optimality Theory
Lenition and Optimality Theory (Proceedings of LSRL XXIV, Feb. 1994) Haike Jacobs French Department Nijmegen University/Free University Amsterdam 1. Introduction Since Kiparsky (1968) generative historical phonology has relied primarily on the following means in accounting for sound change: rule addition, rule simplification, rule loss and rule reordering. Given that the phonological rule as such no longer exists in the recently proposed framework of Optimality theory (cf. Prince and Smolensky 1993), the question arises how sound change can be accounted for in this theory. Prince and Smolensky (1993) contains mainly applications of the theory to non-segmental phonology (that is, stress and syllable structure), whereas the segmental phonology is only briefly (the segmental inventory of Yidiny) touched upon. In this paper, we will present and discuss an account of consonantal weakening processes within the framework of Optimality theory. We will concentrate on lenition in the historical phonology of French, but take into account synchronic allophonic lenition processes as well. This paper purports to demonstrate not only that segmental phonology can straightforwardly be dealt with in optimality theory, but, moreover, that an optimality-based account of lenition is not thwarted by the drawbacks of previous proposals. This paper is organized as follows. In section 2, we will present the main facts of lenition in the historical phonology of French. After that, section 3 briefly discusses previous analyses of this phenomenon, mainly concentrating on their problematic aspects. Section 4 considers the possibilities of accounting for lenition in Optimality theory. Finally, in section 5 the main results of the present paper are summarized. -
Labialized Consonants in Iraqw Alain Ghio1 Maarten Mous2 and Didier Demolin3
Labialized consonants in Iraqw Alain Ghio1 Maarten Mous2 and Didier Demolin3, Aix-Marseille Univ. & CNRS UMR7309 – LPL1, Universiteit Leiden2, Laboratoire de phonétique et phonologie, CNRS-UMR 7018, Sorbonne nouvelle3 Iraqw a Cushitic language spoken in Tanzania has a set of labialized consonants /ŋw, kw, gw, qw ́, xw/ in its phonological inventory (Mous, 1993). This study makes a comparison between labial movements involved in the production of these consonants and compares them with the gestures of the bilabial nasal [m] and the labiovelar approximant [w]. Data were recorded combining acoustic, EGG and video data. The latter were taken by using simultaneous front and profile images, first at normal speed (25 fps) and then at high-speed (300 fps). Data were recorded with 4 women and 5 men. Results show that the labialized consonants [ŋw, kw, gw, qw ́, xw] are produced with a gesture different from the bilabial nasal and the labiovelar approximant that both involve some lip rounding and protrusion. The labialized consonants show a slow vertical opening movement of the lips with a very slight inter-lip rounding. Figure 1 compares lips positions immediately after the release of the different closures for [kw and qw ́] and in the middle of the gesture of [m] and [w]. Figure 1. Lips front and profile positions shortly after the closure release of [kw] and [qw ́] showing a small inter-lip rounding for [qw ́]. [w] and [m] show both lip rounding and protrusion. High-speed video confirms 2 different types of labial gestures. These findings sustain a claim made by Ladefoged & Maddieson (1996) who suggested 2 possible types of labial gestures involved in the production of labial consonants. -
UC Santa Barbara Dotawo: a Journal of Nubian Studies
UC Santa Barbara Dotawo: A Journal of Nubian Studies Title The Consonant System of Abu Jinuk (Kordofan Nubian) Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3kf38308 Journal Dotawo: A Journal of Nubian Studies, 2(1) Author Alshareef, Waleed Publication Date 2015-06-01 DOI 10.5070/D62110020 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ 4.0 Peer reviewed eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California The Consonant System of 155 Abu Jinuk (Kordofan Nubian) Waleed Alshareef 1. Introduction Abu Jinuk is a Kordofan Nubian language mainly spoken in the northwestern Nuba Mountains of Sudan. Kordofan Nubian is a branch of the Nubian language family. According to Rilly,1 Nubian belongs to the northern East Sudanic subgroup which is part of the East Sudanic branch of the Nilo-Saharan phylum. According to the Sultan of the Abu Jinuk tribe, the population in 2010 was 5,896 of whom 3,556 speakers live in the Nuba Moun- tains and 2,340 are scattered in different towns of Sudan.2 Accord- ing to the informants, the people call themselves and their language [d̪εkla] meaning “the great grandfather.” The Arabic term “Abu Ji- nuk,” by which they are known in linguistic literature, is the name of their mountain. By the non-Arab neighboring groups, the Abu Jinuk people are called [εlεk], which means “the explorers.” Abu Jinuk is an undescribed language. No linguistic studies have been devoted to the phonology of this language. Therefore, exam- ining the consonant system of Abu Jinuk is thought to be the first linguistic investigation of this language. -
Issue 31.2.Indd
Akanlig-Pare, G../Legon Journal of the Humanities Vol. 31.2 (2020) DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ljh.v31i2 .3 Palatalization in Central Bùlì George Akanlig-Pare Senior Lecturer University of Ghana, Legon Email: [email protected] Submitted: May 6, 2020/Accepted: November 20, 2020/Published: January 28, 2021 Abstract Palatalization is a process through which non-palatal consonants acquire palatality, either through a shift in place of articulation from a non-palatal region to the hard palate or through the superimposition of palatal qualities on a non-palatal consonant. In both cases, there is a front, non-low vowel or a palatal glide that triggers the process. In this paper, I examine the palatalization phenomena in Bùlì using Feature Geometry within the non- linear generative phonological framework. I argue that both full and secondary palatalization occur in Buli. The paper further explains that, the long high front vowel /i:/, triggers the formation of a palato-alveolar aff ricate which is realized in the Central dialect of Bùlì, where the Northern and Central dialects retain the derived palatal stop. Keywords: Palatalization, Bùlì, Feature Geometry, synchronic, diachronic Introduction Although linguists generally agree that palatalization is a process through which non-palatal consonants acquire palatality, they diff er in their accounts of the phonological processes that characterize it. As Halle (2005, p.1) states, “… palatalization raises numerous theoretical questions about which there is at present no agreement among phonologists”. Cross linguistic surveys conducted on the process reveal a number of issues that lead to the present state of aff airs. -
Assimilation, Reduction and Elision Reflected in the Selected Song Lyrics of Avenged Sevenfold
Dwi Nita Febriyanti Assimilation, Reduction and Elision Reflected in the Selected Song Lyrics of Avenged Sevenfold Dwi Nita Febriyanti [email protected] English Language Studies, Sanata Dharma University Abstract This paper discusses the phenomena of phonological rules, especially assimilation, reduction and elision processes. In this paper, the writer conducted phonological study which attempts to find the phenomena of those processes in song lyrics. In taking the data, the writer transcribed the lyrics of the songs, along with checking them to the internet source, then observed the lyrics to find the phenomena of assimilation, reduction, and elision. After that, she classified the observed phenomena in the lyrics based on the phonological processes. From the data analysis, the results showed that there were three processes found both in the first and second songs: assimilation, reduction and elision. The difference is that in the first song, it has four kinds of assimilation, while from the second song only has three kinds of assimilation. Keywords: assimilation, reduction, elision Introduction brothers and sisters’ discussion or even in songs, for which songs are considered as the As English spoken by the native media for the composer to share his feelings. speakers, it sometimes undergoes simplification to ease the native speakers in Assimilation usually happens in the expressing their feelings. That is why, it is double consonants. This is a phenomenon common for them to speak English in high which shows the influence of one sound to speed along with their emotions. As the another to become more similar. While for result, they make a ‘shortcut’ to get ease of the reduction process, it can happen to the their pronunciation.