Acoustic correlates of phonological microvariations
-
Mirko Grimaldi
Abstract
Recent field researches in a small area of Southern Salento by means of an appropriate questionnaire, acoustic analysis and statistic treatment of the data have pointed out the existence of micro-parametric metaphonetic processes never noticed before. These processes cause the raising of the stressed mid vowels /E/ and /O/ to the counterpart mid-high vowels [e] and [o], when followed by the unstressed high vowels -i and -u. In order to incorporate coherently phonetics in phonological analysis (within an autosegmental phonological framework), we tried to extract the phonetic out of the phonological properties. The results suggest that the phonological microvariation is mastered by the interplay of acoustic-articulatory, and probably perceptive features of the stressed and unstressed vocalism involved in the processes, supporting a research perspective in which distinctive features have and important role not only in articulatory actions, but also in all intermediate representations, and, furthermore, in perceptive processes.
Abstract
Recent field researches in a small area of Southern Salento by means of an appropriate questionnaire, acoustic analysis and statistic treatment of the data have pointed out the existence of micro-parametric metaphonetic processes never noticed before. These processes cause the raising of the stressed mid vowels /E/ and /O/ to the counterpart mid-high vowels [e] and [o], when followed by the unstressed high vowels -i and -u. In order to incorporate coherently phonetics in phonological analysis (within an autosegmental phonological framework), we tried to extract the phonetic out of the phonological properties. The results suggest that the phonological microvariation is mastered by the interplay of acoustic-articulatory, and probably perceptive features of the stressed and unstressed vocalism involved in the processes, supporting a research perspective in which distinctive features have and important role not only in articulatory actions, but also in all intermediate representations, and, furthermore, in perceptive processes.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Foreword v
- Table of contents vii
- Unpronounced MUCH and the distribution of degree expressions in Spanish 1
- The status of the (supposed) expletive in Brazilian Portuguese existential clauses 17
- On the linearization of adjectives in Romanian 33
- Prepositionless genitive and N+N compounding in (Old) French and Italian 53
- Vowel elision in spoken Italian 73
- Acoustic correlates of phonological microvariations 89
- Romance lenition 111
- Main stress in Italian nonce nouns 127
- Negative concord as feature sharing 143
- Appositive sentences and the structure(s) of coordination 159
- Cleaving the interactions between sluicing and P-stranding 175
- Another look at wh-questions in Romance 199
- Index of subjects and terms 259
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Foreword v
- Table of contents vii
- Unpronounced MUCH and the distribution of degree expressions in Spanish 1
- The status of the (supposed) expletive in Brazilian Portuguese existential clauses 17
- On the linearization of adjectives in Romanian 33
- Prepositionless genitive and N+N compounding in (Old) French and Italian 53
- Vowel elision in spoken Italian 73
- Acoustic correlates of phonological microvariations 89
- Romance lenition 111
- Main stress in Italian nonce nouns 127
- Negative concord as feature sharing 143
- Appositive sentences and the structure(s) of coordination 159
- Cleaving the interactions between sluicing and P-stranding 175
- Another look at wh-questions in Romance 199
- Index of subjects and terms 259
