|
Abstract:
|
This study compares eleven Niger -Congo languages with [ATR] harmony and seeks to determine especially whether the acoustic properties of the "voice quality" differences associated with [ATR] in nine -vowel languages , such as Akan , are present or absent in all , some or none of the seven -vowel languages .
Of particular interest is the nature of the height 2 and 3 vowels of the nine - and degree 2 vowels of seven -vowel systems . First , this study corroborates previous work on nine -vowel systems by demonstrating that height 2 vowels [ -ATR] [ɪ ʊ] frequently overlap with height 3 vowels [+ATR] [e o] . Next , it considers the question that the two types of seven -vowel systems recognized in African languages - /i e ɛ a ɔ o u / and /i ɪ ɛ a ɔ ʊ u / - may be manifestations of a single system . Given that degree 2 vowels of either seven -vowel system ( /e o / or /ɪ ʊ / ) overlap in nine -vowel languages , how can we know which system we have ? Do the acoustic correlates of [ATR] in nine -vowel systems help us to answer this question or is it reasonable for linguists to use indeterminacy as an argument for new theories of vowel features ?
Results confirm that F1 is the primary acoustic correlate of [ATR] in both nine and seven vowel systems : [+ATR] vowels have lower F1 mean values than their [ -ATR] counterparts . Other acoustic correlates of [ATR] , such as bandwidth or "Normalized A1 -A2 ," have some value in understanding the acoustics of systems with [ATR] harmony . Center of gravity , another measure of spectral flatness , also shows promise : [ -ATR] vowels have higher center of gravities than their [+ATR] counterparts . Evidence suggests the extreme ends of the center of gravity measures may be more perceptually salient than those in the middle . Speakers of languages with nine underlying or surface vowels tend to exploit center of gravity extremes for one of the [ATR] pairs , but speakers of 7 -vowel languages tend to have more neutral center of gravity settings . The latter finding leaves open the door that some speakers of 7 -vowel languages may not be manipulating tongue root position in differentiating [ATR] harmony pairs . |