Speech Science VIII

Speech Science VIII

The articulation behind the acoustics

Version WS 2007-8

Topics

• How do we create the resonating cavities?• Anatomy physiology of articulation• Systematic categorization of (German) sounds.

• Reading: BHR, Chap. 5 or 6 (artic. Parts)Kent, Chap. 5, especially pp. 171-

194 P.-M. 1.4, pp. 43-59

Vowels vs. consonants• Vowels have to form the vocal tract into a tube with

one ()or two (most other vowels)main cavities.For this the tongue dorsum (which comprises the mass of the tongue) is moved up and down, backwards & forwards,

• Consonants have to form an obstruction to the airflow.For this any constrictable part of the vocal tract is used: the lips, tongue tip & blade, tongue dorsum, tongue root, vocal folds

Tongue shapes for vowels (a reminder)

N.B., the tongue tip never protrudes – andyou can feel that it is behind the bottomincisors

Traditionaldescription

Acousticallyimportant

How does the tongue change

shape?Kinn-Zungenmuskel

Längsmuskel

Quermuskel

The tongue consistsof muscle fibres.Tensed musclesget shorter andthicker.These muscles change the Formof the tongue.PARTS of the muscles can be tensed too.

Senkrechtmuskel

How the tongue changes position

Schädelbasis-Zungenmuskel

Zungenbein-Zungen-M.

Unterkiefer

Gaumen-Zungen-M.

Oberer Längs-M. (Shape and position)

Unterer Längs-M.

Kinn-Zungen-M. (Shape and position)

Important muscles for corner vowels 1

The back part of the genioglossuscontracts to pulls the mass of the tongue forward.Probably, the inferior longitu- dinal muscle and possibly the front part of the genioglossus pulls the tip back, allowing the front part of the dorsum to bulge upwards (to form the convex shape typical for vowels).

Important muscles for corner vowels 2

The hyoglossus pulls the mass of the tongue down to the floorof the mouth..Both longitudinal muscles andthe back part of the genioglossus need to be relaxed to allow the mass of the tongue body to bulge backwards into the pharynx.Possibly the verticalis musclehelps to keep the dorsum flat inthe mouth.

Important muscles for corner vowels 3 The styloglossus

pulls the mass of the tongue upwards and backwards

The front part of the genioglossus muscle and possibly also the longitudinalishelp to pull the tongue tip back

Possibly the palatoglossusmuscle helps to raise the back part of the dorsum towards the velum.

But the lips also determine

the acoustics

Lifting muscles

Lowering muscles

„round the mouth“ muscle

The “O.O.” muscle isresponsible for lip-rounding

Some more detail?

German vowel qualities and symbols

()

pure vowels

diphthongs

Now for the consonants

• Where and what are the “obstructions” to the airflow?

• They can occur throughout the vocal tract.

• They can be of very different kinds• The tongue and lips are important (see vowels)

but the velum also plays an imprtant role

Articulators & places of articulation

The places of articulationare at the top and the articulators (movable)are at the bottom

The most frequent terms for places of articulation are marked. The articulators are notoften specified (exceptfor “labio-”)

A mid-sagittal cross-section

Places of articulation

Articulators blade tip

front back

Articulators & consonants

• To form the constrictions for consonants, articulators have to be raised to a place of articulation:

The jaw is (surprisingly) NOT the main factor which determines the proximity of the articulators (observe jaw during the closure for and

Consider what muscles move ....the lips togetherthe tongue tip to the alveolar ridgethe tongue dorsum to the palate

Controlling the velum

(Palate lifter)(uvula muscle)(Palate tensor)(palate-tongue muscle)(palate-pharynx muscle)

The pharynx complex

Gaumensenkerpalatoglossus

palatopharyngeus

Gaumenspannung

Gaumenheber

m. uvulae

levator palatini

tensor palatini

raised velum lowered velum

airstream

Oral and nasal sounds

[d](oral) [n](nasal)

Constriction

affricate = sequence of plosive+fricative trill: vibrating articulator

complete closure,no acoustic energy

plosive

complete

approximant

slight

turbulent airflow

narrow

fricative

no turbulence

k x velarvelumback tongue dorsum

uvularuvula

h glottalvocal folds

j palatalhard palatefront tongue dorsum

post-alveolar

posterior part of alv. ridge

tongue blade (laminal)

t d s z n l ƒ alveolaralveolar ridgetongue tip (apical)

f v labiodentalupper incisorslower lip

p b m ƒbilabialupper and lower lip

passiveactive

IPA symbolplace-nameArticulator

Place of articulation (German)

plosive

ƒƒ affricate

f v s z h fricative

j approximant or vowel glide

r oder R trill

closure m n nasal

oral

central

orallateral

nasal

approximant l lateral

Manner of articulation (German)

del. rel.

narrow constr.

approximant

closure

trill

IPA-Symbols Sound category Laterality Nasality Constriction

Manner of articulation

Summary

• We have seen how our articulators shape the articulatory configurations required for different sounds

• We have categorized the sounds (of German) according to place of articulation and according to manner of articulation

• We have seen the IPA symbols that are used to represent the sounds.