Volume 29, Issue 1-2

Is it possible to interpret lateral cineradiographic data according to a model consisting of a single tube of constant cross-area? Some considerations after the analysis of the modern Icelandic vowel system. The possibility of interpreting lateral cineradiographic data, synchronized with spectrograms, according to a model consisting of a single tube of constant cross-area, is discussed. The result of this analysis is absolutely negative, although one has asserted the contrary. The positive results of this investigation are a thoroughly new view of the modern Icelandic vowel system. The vowel system resulting from this analysis shows a considerable deviation from the traditional descriptions that have prevailed hitherto.

The paper presents a detailed analysis of the phonology of the Russian ‘word’ based on the principles of the Firthian theory of Prosodic Analysis. The word is defined as the unit of stress placement and systems of vowel units are set up according to the stress prosody operating on the syllable. Palatality is treated as a prosody of syllable beginning and/or syllable ending having phonetic exponents in both the consonant and vowel phonematic units. Thus, it will be seen that such an analysis avoids inconsistencies and inadequacies of the phoneme-based approaches.

A method of accounting for perceived suprasegmental parameters, which was outlined in a previous paper, is tested for applicability. The arithmetic means of parameter profiles for three different groups of listeners in a short excerpt from a French text show an unexpected degree of uniformity, which makes further analyses of spontaneous texts worthwhile.

This contribution examines the subject-specific technical demands on the development of golf balls with phonetic symbols for typewriters and offers a detailed suggestion for its realization.