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http://dx.doi.org/10.13064/KSSS.2014.6.4.109

An acoustic study of fricated vowels in Nuosu Yi: an exploratory study  

Perkins, Jeremy (University of Aizu)
Lee, Seunghun J. (Central Connecticut State University)
Li, Xiao (Queens College)
Liu, Hongyong (South China Normal University)
Publication Information
Phonetics and Speech Sciences / v.6, no.4, 2014 , pp. 109-115 More about this Journal
Abstract
Fricated nuclei in Nuosu Yi were found to be more correctly described as fricated vowels, rather than syllabic fricatives due to the presence of clear formant structures typical of front vowels. In this exploratory study, two types of fricated nuclei were examined: retroflex "yr" and non-retroflex "y". The retroflex nucleus "yr" had higher F1 and lower F3 than non-retroflex "y", indicating a lower tongue height. On the other hand, F2 was found to correlate not with nucleus retroflexion, but instead with onset consonant retroflexion: F2 was higher following retroflex onsets, in both vowels. This effect was persistent through the entire vowel, suggesting a phonological effect, rather than a coarticulatory one. Interpretation of the F2 results require accompanying articulatory data since the usual coupling of F2 and tongue backness does not always hold for retroflex vowels. Examining the articulation of the fricated nuclei in Nuosu Yi is a direction for future research.
Keywords
Nuosu Yi; fricated vowels; retroflexion; formant values;
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