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e-Content Submission to INFLIBNET

Subject name:

Linguistics

Paper name:

Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology

Principle Investigator

Prof. Pramod Pandey

Centre for Linguistics, SLL&CS, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067

Phone: 011-26704226 (O), M- 9810979446

Email: pkspandey@yahoo.com

Paper Coordinator Prof. Pramod Pandey

Module name & Number

Lings_P2_M4

Multiple Articulations

Content Writer (CW) Name

Pramod Pandey

Email id pkspandey@yahoo.com

Phone 011-26741258, -9810979446

Reviewer

Prof Hemalatha Nagarajan

English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad 500007

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Objective:

To introduce students to speech sounds that involve multiple articulations, in addition to primary articulation discussed in detail so far.

Contents: 1 Introduction

2 Secondary Articulation

3 Double Articulation

4 Co-articulation

5 Segmental Analysis Vs Parametric Analysis

1 Introduction

In the description of the articulation of segmental speech sounds, we have

focused on the most prominent position of the articulators, known as Primary

Articulation. There are many segmental speech sounds in whose production the

articulators take more than one position. In this module, we take a look at speech

sounds that involve multiple articulations in the vocal tract. These are of three

types mainly: Secondary Articulation, Double Articulation and Coarticulation.

Following an account of these articulation types, we briefly discuss the

Parametric approach vis-à-vis the Segmental approach to phonetic analysis.

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Figure -1: Speech organs

http://media-3.web.britannica.com/eb-media/47/4347-004-A834AD06.jpg

For a discussion on multiple articulation see:

http://www.phon.ox.ac.uk/jcoleman/MULTART.htm

2 Secondary Articulation

2.1 The term Secondary Articulation refers to articulations that involve a more

open constriction in the vocal tract in addition to a simultaneous greater

constriction in the production of a speech sound. In this case, the articulation

that involves greater constriction is known as Primary Articulation and the

articulation that involves a more open constriction is known as Secondary

Articulation. The terms signify only the constriction of the articulators and do

not imply any significance to them. That is, a secondary articulation is as

significant as the primary articulation in the production of a speech sound in so

far as it distinguishes it from another sound.

Four main types of secondary articulation are found in the production of speech

sounds in world languages. These are Labialization, Palatalization, Velarization,

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and Pharyngealization. Their presence gives rise to a larger number of speech

sounds that are produced by the main articulation, just as laryngeal features (e.g.

voicing and aspiration) give rise to

2.2 Labialization. Labialization is the state of the production of a speech sound

with the addition of lip rounding. The process refers to a [w] like addition to a

segment and not merely lip-rounding. For segments tend to be produced with

lips rounded when followed by a rounded vowel [u] or [o]. Most segments are

affected by their environment. Lip rounding of a consonant because of a

following rounded vowel is better described as co-articulation, about which we

discuss in a following section. Labialized segments are symbolized with the

diacritic [ʷ], e.g. [kʷ], ‘labialized voiceless velar plosive’ and [tʷ], ‘labialized

voiceless alveolar plosive’. Some African languages like Twi and Tashlhit Berber

are known to have contrastive labialized sounds, that is, words with both

labialized and non-labialized sounds that differ only because of the difference in

them. Among Indic languages, Khezha, spoken in Nagaland, has contrastive

labialized segments.

2.3 Palatalization: Palatalization is the state of the production of a speech sound

by additionally raising the front of the tongue that is perceived like the palatal

approximant. A palatalized consonant is perceived as the addition of a short [j]

following a consonant. It is represented in IPA as [ʲ], e.g. [bʲ], ‘palatalized voiced

bilabial plosive’ and [kʰʲ], ‘palatalized, aspirated voiceless velar plosive’.

Palatalization may be purely coarticulatory for consonants before a front vowel.

The degree of coarticulatory palatalization may vary from slight to prominent.

In Kashmiri, palatalization is contrastive as in the following examples: /kul/

‘tree’, /kulʲ/ ‘trees’; /nor/ ‘cuff’, /nərʲ/ ‘cuffs’. Phonetically, coarticulatory

palatalization is considerably pronounced in the vowel of the preceding syllable,

e.g. [kuᶦlʲ], [nəᶦrʲ].

2.4 Velarization

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Velarization involves a simultaneous raising of the back of the tongue when

producing a sound with another primary articulation. The diacritic mark for

velarization is [ˠ] added following the primary articulation, e.g. [tˠ] ‘voiceless,

velarized alveolar plosive’.

Predictable velarization

In most varieties of native English, such as Standard American English or British

R. P. the alveolar lateral /l/ is pronounced as a velarized [lˠ] at the end of words

or before a consonant, e.g. [mɪlˠ] ‘mill’ and [bɪlˠdɪŋ] ‘building’. In Arabic, /l/ is

velarized before a group of consonants such as [k l q], but not beofe others such

as [s ʃ]. A velarized lateral is informally called a ‘dark [l]’ and non-velarized /l/ is

called a ‘clear [l]’. Among Indic languages, the Dravidian language Koya, the

alveolar lateral is velarized before a consonant other than a velar stop and at the

end of words, e.g. /pa:lde/ > [pa:lˠde] ‘prostitue’, /nulle/ > [nu lˠle] ‘mosquito’,

/kəttul/ > [kəttul lˠ] ‘cot’. The lateral is slightly spirantized before a velar stop -

[ɮˠ], e.g. /palku/ [pa ɮˠku] ‘teeth’, /nalke/ > [naɮˠke] ‘tongue’. In all these

languages, velarized consonants occur as non-contrastive sounds, as variants of

sounds that have only primary articulation.

Contrastive velarization

Velarization is contrastive in Russian, e.g. [dal] ‘distance’ vs. [dalˠ] ‘gave’.

2.5 Pharyngealization takes place when the root of the tongue or the epiglottis is

raised to create a narrow aperture with the pharyngeal wall while producing a

consonant or a vowel. Pharyngealized sounds are symbolized with the addition

of a diacritic superscript of the shape of an inverted question mark [ˤ]. When

used as an independent IPA symbol [ʕ], it stands for a voiced pharyngeal

consonant. Pharyngealized sounds are common in Arabic , e.g. /sˤa:r/ ‘became’ vs

/sa:r/ ‘walked’ and /tˤi:n/ ‘mud’ vs /ti:n/ ‘frog’. Although pharyngealization in

consonants is simultaneous with the primary articulation, its effect spreads onto

the following vowel and sometimes on the preceding vowel as well.

Pharyngealized vowels are found in some languages in different parts of the

world. For a detailed discussion on pharyngeals and pharyngealization, see

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http://www.ncl.ac.uk/linguistics/assets/documents/PharyngealsMaddieson.pdf

Pharyngealized sounds are almost like the ATR vowels, but with greater

constriction.

Languages do not have velarization and pharyngealization as contrastive

secondary articulations. When it is not certain whether a sound is

pharyngealized or velarized, the diacritic [ ], called ‘tilde’ is used as an inscript

with it, e.g. [t d ].

3 Double Articulation

Double articulation involves two strictures formed simultaneously in the vocal

tract to produce a sound of the same manner of articulation, e.g. [ʍ]- a ‘voiceless

labial-velar approximant’. The sound is produced with the lips coming together

as well as the back of the tongue raised against the velum, both in a contact of

open approximation, allowing the air-stream to pass freely and without any

friction between the two strictures. Unlike in secondary articulation where a

primary articulation is modified with another stricture, in double articulation,

both the strictures are of equal importance. Examples of other double

articulations are [ɥ], a ‘voiceless labial-palatal approximant’ and [ʑ], a ‘voiced

alveo-palatal fricative’.

The IPA symbols for double articulations are of two types- single symbols such

as above, and symbols made of two symbols connected with a tie-bar above

them, e.g. [k p] and [ b], voiceless and voiced velar-labial plosives. he tie-bar

diacritic can also be a subscript, e.g. [k ]. Such consonants with double

articulations are common in many Africa languages, such as Igbo, in which the

name of the language itself has double- articulated consonant [ b]. he diacritic

tie-bar in IPA is used for both double-articulation consonants and affricates, e.g.

[p f]. Double articulations, however, are distinguished from affricates on the basis

of (a) whether or not the two articulations are of the same manner or different

and whether the two articulations are simultaneous or sequential. Affricates

involve a combination of a plosive and a fricative as manners of articulations

which occur sequentially; the fricative articulation follows the plosive.

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Exercise:

Is the diacritic tie-bar used for double articulations and affricates always a s uperscript? Find out.

Consonants with double articulation belong to one of the manner types- plosive,

fricative and approximant. There are no known cases of approximants for the

other manners of articulation.

4 Coarticulation

One of the most prominent phenomena to receive the attention of phoneticians

and phonologists is Coarticulation, the variation in the articulation of speech

sounds on account of differences in contexts. More precisely, Coarticulation is

“the overlapping of adjacent articulations” (Ladefoged 1993: 55).

We are all familiar with the difficulty in pronouncing certain combinations of

sounds, called by the name “tongue twisters”. Some of the well-known tongue

twisters in English are the following sentences:

She sells sea-shells on the seashore.

If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, where’s the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?

Most languages have tongue twisters. For example, speakers of Hindi find the

sentence Kacchā pāpaD, pakkā pāpaD ‘raw pāpaD, cooked pāpaD’ a tongue

twister. Are there tongue twisters in your language, too?

Figure -2: Einstein with tongue out

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/thumb/msid-45079926,width-280,height-130.cms

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Did you know?

i. The most difficult tongue twister according to the Guiness Book of World Records is the sentence “ he sixth sick sheikh’s sixth sheep’s sick.”

ii. The second Sunday in every November is the International tongue Twister Day?

As stated in the blog http://mentalfloss.com/article/12800/how-do-tongue-

twisters-twist-tongue, MRI scans of articulations of tongue-twisters vis-à-vis

normal sentences showed that “…tongue twisters cause problems in the

planning, control and/or representation of internal speech by creating a

bottleneck in phonological (relating to the pattern of sounds) or articulatory

processing that requires additional time and effort to parse the sounds and

resolve the confusion.”

Coarticulation is of interest in phonetics and phonology not only because of the

significance of the phenomenon from the point of view of articulation, but also

the planning and processing of speech. It arises mainly because (see

http://www.phon.ox.ac.uk/jcoleman/MULTART.htm) “…the different speech

production processes, and the different articulators involved, combine with one

another with different timing patterns. For example, vowels become nasalized

when followed (or preceded) by a nasal consonant (compare English “pit” and

“pin”) because the timing of the lowering of the velum is not perfectly

synchronized with the tongue movement for the alveolar consonant.”

Watch the following video for the variation in the pronunciation of /l/ in English:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSv79H3Thvg

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Coarticulation is very similar to the well-known phenomenon of Assimilation. In

both, a sound is replaced by another sound on account of its occurrence in a

given context. For instance, the sound /p/ is always pronounced [b] before

nasals in Tamil, e.g. [pʊli] ‘tiger’ and [p :mbɯ] ‘snake’. In Tamil, two consonants

that occur adjacently agree in voicing. Here [p] assimilates the feature ‘voice’ of

the preceding nasal consonant. In addition, in the word [p :mbɯ], the preceding

vowel assimilates the ‘nasal’ feature of the following consonant. Nasal vowels are

not contrastive in Tamil, but result from assimilation.

Coarticulation is often distinguished from assimilation on the grounds of a

difference in being planned and physiologically conditioned. Assimilation is

assumed to be a result of planning before articulation, while coarticulation is

assumed to be taking place in the process of producing sounds requiring

different articulatory movements. The issue, however, is in the need of further

investigation. It is quite likely that all aspects of articulation are a result of the

motor programme for speech.

Languages and dialects vary in the way coarticulation is effected in them.

Nasalization of vowels when occurring adjacent to nasals in different varieties of

English is a good example of this. Look at the nasal vowels in British R. P. and

Indian English (with Hindi as the source language)

( /1) Words British R. P. Hindi English

(a) Not [n t] [n :ʈ] On [ n] [ :n]

Any [en :] [ n :] (b) No [nəʊ] [n :]

Any [en :] [ n :] Nod [n d] [n :ɖ] ~ [n :ɖ] Never [nevə] [ne ə ] ~ [n ə ]

The data in ( /1) show that the contexts for nasalization in the two varieties are

common in (a), but not in (b). The word any has both common as well as

different contexts for nasalization in both varieties.

Coarticulation involves overlapping of articulation of adjacent sounds. The

overlapping may be of the following segment on the preceding segment, as for on

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in the two varieties in ( /1). This is an instance of Regressive (or anticipatory)

coarticulation. The overlapping may be of the preceding segment on the

following segment, as for No in Hindi English, compared to British R. P. This is an

instance of Progressive(or perseverative) coarticulation. The overlapping can be

in both directions, as for any in Hindi English in ( /1). For both types of

overlapping, there are restrictive contexts, as is the case with the pronunciations

of the words not and nod in British R. P.

Exercise

What is the restrictive context for the nasalization in the words

not and nod in British R. P. in ( /1)?

Key: The following consonant is voiceless in not and voiced in nod.

Are secondary articulations, too, coarticulation? Yes, indeed. The coarticulation

in the case of secondary articulation involves the overlap of features of the

adjacent segment(s), such as ‘labiality’ and ‘frontness’ for labialization and

palatalization. The processes of secondary articulation and double articulation

are discussed separately in order to show the difference between them. In

Module 21, we shall take a close look at the features that play a role in

coarticulation.

5 Parametric Phonetics The study of the primary articulation of segmental sounds, which has been the

topic of Modules 1-8, focused on the articulatory postures in the vocal apparatus

in producing a sound. In the present module, we have tried to account for how

certain features of articulation of a segment are influenced by adjacent segments.

The focus however continues to be a single articulatory state in the production of

a segment. Such a view of phonetics is termed as Segmental phonetics. With the

availability of advanced tools for the investigation of articulatory, acoustic and

auditory properties of speech, an alternative view of phonetics has been gaining

ground, known as Parametric phonetics. Parametric phonetics emphasizes the

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fact that speech is produced by various speech organs whose movement is well

coordinated and continuous in producing a stretch of speech, as can be seen in

Video /1

LIVEVI~2.MP4

Video /1: Live video of movements during speech production (MRI at 20 ms.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTOhDqhCKQs&noredirect=1

A parametric phonetic description of the articulation of a stretch of speech aims

at showing how the various organs (in the main lungs, larynx, jaw, velum,

tongue and lips) coordinate in producing a speech sound, as shown in the

following figure for the production of the phrase perfect memory:

Time (Frames)

(a)

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11/4/2014 Parametric description and long-domain features

(b)

Parametric description and long-domain features www.phon.ox.ac.uk/jcoleman/long-domain.html (doi: 11/4/2014)

“The figures above show the up-and-down movements of small metal pellets placed on several articulators (two on the tongue) during two utterances of the phrase “perfect memory”. The raising of the tongue dorsum is 12abeled K, of the tongue tip T and of the lower lip B. It can be seen that in the upper version, in which the two words are clearly separated, movements K and T are strongly overlapping, whereas B comes later. In the lower version, in which the two words are run together, movements K, T and B are all rather strongly overlapping.” www.phon.ox.ac.uk/jcoleman/long-domain.html (doi: 11/4/2014) The parameters of measurement of speech can be defined at all the three areas of

phonetics- articulatory, acoustic and auditory. We have already looked at the

parameters for articulatory phonetics. At the acoustic level, the parameters that

are important are the ones that play a crucial role in determining the speech

wave form. At the auditory level, the relevant parameters play a crucial role in

determining the signals that match real speech. . There is need however to

consider how a parametric description of speech can be presented in a workable

formalism, just like the formalism developed for segmental phonetics.

6 Summary

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In this module, we discussed at length the phenomena of multiple articulation

involving three main processes- secondary articulation, double articulation and

coarticulation. We also briefly introduced the emerging area of parametric

phonetics as complementary to segmental phonetics, the subject matter of main

concern in this course.

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