AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF VOWEL DURATION IN IRAQI SPOKEN ARABIC ZEKI MAJEED BASSAN (AL-JAZARY) Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Ph.D. University of Leeds Department of Linguistics and Phonetics June, 1981 TO MY WIFE (i) CONTENTS Page Contents (i) Abstract (viii) ( y \ Acknowledgements ' ' List of Abbreviations and Symbols (xii) List of Tables and Figures (xiv) Transcription (xvi) Introduction 1 PART ONE PHONOLOGICAL BACKGROUND AND SURVEY OF LITERATURE 5 CHAPTER ONE: PHONOLOGICAL BACKGROUND 6 1.1 Duration and Length 6 1.2 The Phonological Significance of Vowel Length in C.A. and I.S.A. 7 1.3 Syllabic Structure in C.A. and I.S.A. 10 1.3.1 General Background 10 1.3.2 Syllabic Structure in C.A. 12 1.3.3 Syllabic Structure in I.S.A. 15 1.4 Stress and Vowel Length 17 1.4.1 Correlates of Stress 17 1.4.2 Vowel Length as a Phonological Correlate of Stress 20 1.5 Stress Patterns in Arabic 21 1.5.1 General Background 21 1.5.2 Predictability of Stress in C.A. 24 (ii) Page 1.5.3 Stress Patterns in I.S.A. 27 CHAPTER TWO: VOWEL DURATION A GENERAL SURVEY OF LITERATURE 34 2.1 Introduction 34 2.2 Intrinsic Duration of Vowels 36 2.2.1 Summary 4 7 2.3 Segmental Conditioning of Vowel Duration 48 2.3.1 Voicing and Manner of Articulation 50 2.3.2 Place of Articulation 71 2.3.3 Summary 7 5 2.4 The Correlation Between Stress and Vowel Duration 77 2.4.1 Vowel Duration as an Acoustic Correlate of Stress 77 2.4.2 The Influence of Stress on Vowel Duration 86 2.4.3 Summary 91 2.5 The Influence of Gemination on Vowel Duration 9 2 2.5.1 Introduction to Gemination 9 2 2.5.2 The Influence of Consonant Clusters and Geminate Consonants on the Duration of the Preceding Vowels 9 6 2.5.3 Summary 9 8 2.6 The Perception of Duration 9 8 2.6.1 Summary 104 CHAPTER THREE: MYODYNAMIC AND AERODYNAMIC CORRELATES OF VOWEL DURATION 107 3.1 Introduction to the Processes of Speech Production 107 (iii) 3.1.1 The Myodynamic Stage 110 3.1.2 The Aerodynamic Stage 112 3.2 Interpretations of Vowel Duration in Terms of Myodynamic and Aerodynamic Conditions 114 3.2.1 Articulatory Distance 115 3.2.1.1 Summary 120 3.2.2 Force of Articulation and Articulatory Energy Expenditure 121 3.2.2.1 Fortis/Lenis Consonants and Tense/Lax Vowels 123 3.2.2.2 Summary 131 3.2.3 Contrasting Aerodynamic Conditions 133 3.2.3.1 Summary 139 3.2.4 Laryngeal Adjustment 14 3 3.2.4.1 Summary 148 3.2.5 Temporal Compensation 149 3.2.5.1 Summary 15 4 3.2.6 Closure Transition 155 3.2.6 .1 Summary 15 9 3.3 Toward the Investigation and Interpretation of Vowel Duration in I.S.A. 160 PART TWO EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION 162 CHAPTER FOUR: EXPERIMENTAL ACOUSTIC INVESTIGATION OF VOWEL DURATION IN I.S.A. 16 3 4.1 Introduction and Aims 163 4.2 Experimental Methods 165 (iv) Page 4.2.1 Selection of Material 165 4.2.2 Subject's Background 167 4.2.3 Analysis Technique 167 4.2.4 Recording Technique and Instrumental Set-Up 16 8 4.2.5 Segmentation Criteria 172 4.2.5.1 A Critical Survey 172 4.2.5.2 Our Segmentation Criteria 178 4.2.5.3 The Question of Reliability and Consistency of Our Segmentation Criteria 185 4.2.5.4 Problems of Segmentation Encountered in This Study 191 4.2.6 Measurements 19 3 4. 2. 6.1 Duration Measurements 19 3 4. 2. 6 . 2 Fo Measurements 19 5 4.2.6.3 Intensity Measurements 95 4.2.7 Mann-Whitney U Test and Level of Significance 197 4.3 Results 201 4.3.1 Intrinsic Duration 201 4.3.2 Voicing and Manner of Articulation 209 4.3.3 Place of Articulation 220 4.3.4 Stress and Vowel Duration 233 4. 3. 4.1 The Influence of Stress on Vowel Duration 234 4.3.4.2 Vowel Duration as an Acoustic Correlate of Stress 235 4.3.5 The Influence of Intervocalic Geminates on Vowel Duration 24 3 4.4 Mean Differences of Vocoid Duration in I.S.A. as Compared to Absolute DLs Obtained by Henry (1948) 246 (V) Page CHAPTER FIVE: MYODYNAMIC AND AERODYNAMIC INVESTIGATION OF VOWEL DURATION IN I. S.A. 252 5.1 Introduction 252 5.2 Experimental Methods 254 5.2.1 Airflow and Pressure 254 5.2.1.1 A Critical Survey and Aims 254 5.2.1.2 Instrumental Set-Up 258 5.2.2 Area 263 5.2.2.1 Introduction and Aims 263 5. 2. 2.2 Instrumental Set-Up 26 3 5.2.3 Electrical Laryngograph 26 4 5.2. 3.1 A Critical Survey and Aims 26 4 5. 2. 3. 2 Instrumental Set-Up 274 5.2.4 Instrumental Set-Up for Acoustic Data 274 5.2.5 Subjects Background and Selection of Material 275 5.3 Segmentation and Measurement Criteria 276 5.3.1 Introduction 276 5.3.2 Minimum Cross-Sectional Area of Constriction 277 5.3.3 Myodynamic Timing 282 5.3.4 Duration of Vocal Folds Adduction 284 5.3.5 Myodynamic Duration of Supraglottal Constriction 284 5.3.6 Acoustic Measurements of Contoid and Vocoid Duration 2 86 5.3.7 Statistical Treatment of the Data 287 5.4 Results 287 (vi) Page 5.4.1 Intrinsical Duration 288 5.4.2 Voicing and Manner of Articulation 300 5.4.2.1 Voiced Versus Voiceless Fricatives 300 5.4.2.2 Voiced Versus Voiceless Plosives 307 5.4. 2. 3 Voiceless Emphatic Versus Non-Emphatic Fricatives 313 5.4.2.4 Voiceless Emphatic Versus Non-Emphatic Plosives 318 5.4.3 Place of Articulation of the Following Contoid 323 5.4.4 Stressed Versus Unstressed Syllables 336 5.4.5 Geminate Versus Non-Geminate Plosives 341 CHAPTER SIX; DISCUSSIONS AND CONCLUSIONS 348 6.1 Intrinsic Duration 348 6.1.1 Summing Up of the Acoustic Data 348 6.1.2 Summing Up of the Myodynamic and Aerodynamic Data 34 8 6.1.3 Discussion 350 6.1.4 Conclusions 35 6 6.2 Voicing/Voiced Versus Voiceless Consonants 358 6.2.1 Summing Up of the Acoustic Data 358 6.2.2 Sxamming Up of the Myodynamic and Aerodynamic Data 358 6.2.3 Discussion 360 6.2.4 Conclusions 367 6.3 Manner of Articulation/Emphatic Versus Non-Emphatic Consonants 36 7 6.3.1 Summing Up of the Acoustic Data 367 6.3.2 Summing Up of the Myodynamic and Aerodynamic Data 368 (vii) Page 6.3.3 Discussion 369 6.3.4 Conclusions 374 6.4 Place of Articulation 375 6.4.1 Summing Up of the Acoustic Data 375 6.4.2 Summing Up of the Myodynamic and Aerodynamic Data 376 6.4.3 Discussion 377 6.4.4 Conclusions 383 6.5 Stressed Versus Unstressed Syllables 384 6.5.1 Summing Up of the Acoustic Data 384 6.5.2 Summing Up of the Myodynamic and Aerodynamic Data 385 6.5.3 Discussion 386 6.5.4 Conclusions 39 3 6 . 6 Intervocalic Geminates Versus Non-Geminates 39 4 6.6.1 Summing Up of the Acoustic Data 39 4 6.6.2 Siamming Up of the Myodynamic and Aerodynamic Data 39 4 6.6.3 Discussion 396 6.6.4 Conclusions 400 6.7 Suggestions for Further Research 400 Appendix 1 403 Appendix 2 407 Appendix 3 409 Bibliography 410 (viii) ABSTRACT This is an experimental study of vowel duration in I.S.A. (Iraqi Spoken Arabic). It investigates some myodynamic (articulatory), aerodynamic, acoustic and perceptual correlates of vowel duration and aims at answering, partly at least, the question whether the factors governing the systematic variations of vowel duration are phonetic-universal or language-specific phenomena. It falls into two main parts: PART ONE comprises three chapters. Chapter One gives a general phonological background of I.S.A. with special reference to the phonemic significance of vowel length and its correlation with stress. Chapter Two reviews some of the literature on vowel duration. The literature review is confined to a critical surv € y of particular aspects of vowel duration viz; intrinsic duration of vowels, segmental conditioning of vowel duration i.e. the influence of voicing and manner of articulation of the preceding and following consonants and the place of articulation of the following consonants on vowel duration, the influence of stress and gemination on vowel duration and some of the literature on the perception of duration. Chapter Three reviews critically some of the hypotheses for the interpretation of vowel duration in myodynamic (articulatory) and aerodynamic terms. The hypotheses reviewed are articulatory distance, force of (ix) articulation and articulatory energy expenditure, contrasting aerodynamic conditions, laryngeal adjustment, temporal compensation and closure transition. PART TWO comprises three chapters giving details of the experimental investigation and discussion of results. The intention has been to keep in line with the same aspects of vowel duration reviewed in Part One; the same aspects have been investigated from the acoustic point of view in Chapter Four. The acoustic findings have been subjected to a myodynamic and aerodynamic investigation in Chapter Five. The results of both chapters have been subjected to statistical treatment. In Chapter Six the findings of both Chapter Four and Five are summarized and discussed from the myodynamic„aerodynamic, acoustic and perceptual points of view.