An X-Ray Investigation of Pharyngeal Constriction in American English Schwa
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Bryan Gick
Abstract
A study of early X-ray footage of 4 subjects was conducted to test the prediction that there may be a midpharyngeal constriction in American English schwa. Results show a significant constriction during schwa relative to lingual rest position for all 4 speakers. This evidence contradicts views of American English schwa as having no articulatory target or place features, as well as those which have suggested a neutral target throughout the vocal tract. These findings, however, support claims connecting English schwa with reduced /r/. In addition to the basic effect 1 subject showed a bimodal pattern in schwa, which may indicate that this subject has distinct schwas in lexical vs. functional words, a property that has also been observed with respect to /r/ in r-vocalizing dialects.
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References
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© 2001 S. Karger AG, Basel
Articles in the same Issue
- Original Paper
- The Relationship between Vowel and Consonant Duration in Orkney and Shetland Dialects
- Voiceless Consonants and Locus Equations: A Comparison with Electropalatographic Data on Coarticulation
- An X-Ray Investigation of Pharyngeal Constriction in American English Schwa
- The Production of English Vowels by Fluent Early and Late Italian-English Bilinguals
- Further Section
- Erratum
- Publications Received for Review
Articles in the same Issue
- Original Paper
- The Relationship between Vowel and Consonant Duration in Orkney and Shetland Dialects
- Voiceless Consonants and Locus Equations: A Comparison with Electropalatographic Data on Coarticulation
- An X-Ray Investigation of Pharyngeal Constriction in American English Schwa
- The Production of English Vowels by Fluent Early and Late Italian-English Bilinguals
- Further Section
- Erratum
- Publications Received for Review