Nasal vowels are not [+NASAL] oral vowels
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Ryan Shosted
Abstract
The assumption of minimal articulatory difference between members of nasal–oral vowel pairs deserves greater scrutiny. This study tests the hypothesis that members of nasal–oral vowel pairs share a common vocal tract configuration. Electromagnetic articulography is used to study the vertical position of the tongue and the labial aperture of nasal–oral vowel pairs produced by four speakers of Brazilian Portuguese. Significant differences were found for each vowel pair for at least one speaker, though considerable inter-speaker variation was evident. The most robust differences were tongue-body raising during the nasal vowels /ã/ and /ũ/. Because heavy nasalization tends to raise the perceived quality of low vowels, the lingual raising of /ã/ probably reinforces its nasality and contributes to the description of this vowel as [ɐ]. Because nasalization tends to lower the perceived quality of high vowels, the nasality of /ũ/ may be counteracted by the lingual raising gesture.
Abstract
The assumption of minimal articulatory difference between members of nasal–oral vowel pairs deserves greater scrutiny. This study tests the hypothesis that members of nasal–oral vowel pairs share a common vocal tract configuration. Electromagnetic articulography is used to study the vertical position of the tongue and the labial aperture of nasal–oral vowel pairs produced by four speakers of Brazilian Portuguese. Significant differences were found for each vowel pair for at least one speaker, though considerable inter-speaker variation was evident. The most robust differences were tongue-body raising during the nasal vowels /ã/ and /ũ/. Because heavy nasalization tends to raise the perceived quality of low vowels, the lingual raising of /ã/ probably reinforces its nasality and contributes to the description of this vowel as [ɐ]. Because nasalization tends to lower the perceived quality of high vowels, the nasality of /ũ/ may be counteracted by the lingual raising gesture.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction vii
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Experimental approaches
- The acquisition of clitics in L2 Spanish 3
- Acquiring VP-ellipsis in Brazilian Portuguese 17
- Code switching in the determiner phrase 29
- How many “grammars” per “language”? 43
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Phonology
- Nasal vowels are not [+NASAL] oral vowels 63
- Labialization and palatalization in Judeo-Spanish phonology 77
- Revisiting /ʁ/-assimilation through schwa 99
- Harmonic serialism and syncope and stress shift in Latin 119
- The adaptation of /h/ in Old French loanwords 133
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Diachronic syntax
- On the Old French subjunctive 147
- On the emergence of two classes of clitic clusters in Italo-Romance 171
- The structure of complementizerless clauses in Classical Portuguese 185
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Syntax
- Bare PPs and the syntax-semantics interface 201
- On the structure of bare nominals in Brazilian Portuguese 215
- Gender features on n & the root 229
- Adjectivization of participles in Romance 245
- On the edge 261
- A case of multiple agree 275
- Measure phrases within the nominal domain in Spanish 289
- Index of subjects and terms 303
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction vii
-
Experimental approaches
- The acquisition of clitics in L2 Spanish 3
- Acquiring VP-ellipsis in Brazilian Portuguese 17
- Code switching in the determiner phrase 29
- How many “grammars” per “language”? 43
-
Phonology
- Nasal vowels are not [+NASAL] oral vowels 63
- Labialization and palatalization in Judeo-Spanish phonology 77
- Revisiting /ʁ/-assimilation through schwa 99
- Harmonic serialism and syncope and stress shift in Latin 119
- The adaptation of /h/ in Old French loanwords 133
-
Diachronic syntax
- On the Old French subjunctive 147
- On the emergence of two classes of clitic clusters in Italo-Romance 171
- The structure of complementizerless clauses in Classical Portuguese 185
-
Syntax
- Bare PPs and the syntax-semantics interface 201
- On the structure of bare nominals in Brazilian Portuguese 215
- Gender features on n & the root 229
- Adjectivization of participles in Romance 245
- On the edge 261
- A case of multiple agree 275
- Measure phrases within the nominal domain in Spanish 289
- Index of subjects and terms 303
