1 L103: Introduction to Linguistics Phonetics—vowels

Last time... ● Consonants

Today... ● vowels ● syllables

Vowel Articulation Manner = vowel Glottal state = voiced (generally) Place = ???? Make this sequence of vowels, and feel how your tongue moves around in your mouth: i u e o a æ Place for vowels requires us to locate our tongues inside the oral cavity, even though it’s not touching anything…

Vowels Vowel Space Apex of Tongue The VOWEL SPACE is divided into a grid, based on the position of the highest, most front part of your tongue as you pronounce that vowel

The Vowel Space i e æ o ɛ ʊ u a ɪ

i e æ o ɪ ɛ ʊ ɔ u a (ROUND) (LAX) (TENSE) (UNROUND)

Other sound properties - diphthongs Some vowels are made up of more than one ‘part’ For example, ‘buy’, ‘bough’, ‘boy’ [ba ɪ ], [ba ʊ ], [bo ɪ ] –or [baj], [baw], [b ɔ j] –or [bai], [bau], [boi] The term for these is ‘diphthong’

Diphthongs i e æ o ɪ ɛ ʊ ɔ u a bai boi ba ʊ ([w])([j])

A weird fact i e æ o ɪ ɛ ʊ ɔ u a ə

Other sound properties - length Finnish: [taka] ‘back’ [takka] ‘fireplace’ [ta:kka] ‘burden’ [taka] ‘back’ vs [takka] ‘fireplace’ –(the notation [kk] indicates a ‘long’ [k]) –(‘long’ means, literally, longer – more milliseconds - than a short sound) [takka] ‘fireplace’ vs. [ta:kka] ‘burden’ –(the notation [a:] indicates a ‘long’ [a]) –(some linguists write long vowels like this [aa] instead of this [a:]) Not all languages use length differences in their phonemic inventory

Other sound properties - tone

Syllables Arrangements of consonants and vowels Arrangements of things based on their acoustical energy (sonority) Vowels > Liquids > Nasals > Fricatives > Plosives/Stops (Sonority Hierarchy)

Parts of a syllable [d a g] “dog” SYLLABLE RIME/Rhyme ONSETNUCLEUSCODA C V C The “NUCLEUS” can also be called the “PEAK”

Ideal Sonority contour | | | | ||||| | | | |||| |||| || | SYLLABLE RIME ONSETNUCLEUSCODA C V C

How many syllables? Cow [ka ʊ ] Easy. 1. CVV Cowboy [ka ʊ bo ɪ ] Still easy. 2. [ka ʊ.bo ɪ ]CVV.CVV Cowabunga [ka ʊ əb ʌ ŋgə] Easy to count (tap it out) 4. But - harder to parse! [ka ʊ.ə.b ʌ ŋ.gə] or [ka.wə.b ʌ ŋ.gə]? CVV.V.CVC.CV or CV.CV.CVC.CV

Syllable Restrictions ● Every naturally occurring human language (we think) allows this kind of syllable: CV ● Only some languages allow syllables to begin with vowels (=onsetless syllables) ● Only some languages allow syllables to end with consonants (=closed syllables) ● Some co-occurrence restrictions: – If you allow CVC and V, you’ll also allow VC – If you allow CVCC, you’ll also allow CVC – If you allow CCCV, you’ll also allow CCV

Ideal sonority contour - onset No consonant clusters at all – max of 1 C per onset (and any C is allowed) Some clusters – (low to high sonority): –Stop+liquid (for example, [tl], [pr]) –Stop+glide (for example, [kw], [bj] But no language wants onsets like this: –Liquid+stop (for example, [lt],[rp]) –Glide+stop (for example, [wk],[jb]) –*high-to-low sonority

Ideal sonority contour - nucleus Allow ONLY vowels, no consonants –Maybe diphthongs Allow vowels and sonorant consonants –Only liquids? (English) –Liquids and Nasals? Allow any sound in the inventory to be a nucleus –Very rare (Berber, Bella Coola) In general, for syllable peaks: – V > Sonorant (nasals, liquids) > Non-sonorant

Ideal sonority contour - coda No codas at all –all syllables are V-final. (Hawaiian) Only single, sonorant coda consonants –Maybe only nasals (Japanese) Any single consonant, but no clusters

Syllable restrictions Hawaiian: the only kind of syllable is CV –Therefore, all words will begin with a consonant, AND –All words will end with a vowel, AND –There will never be more than 2 consonants in a row inside of a word English: In addition to CV, we allow onsetless syllables [aj], and closed syllables [dag]. –We also allow consonant clusters in onset and coda

The Maximal English Syllable? ● strengths [str ɛ ŋk ɵ s] ● CCCVCCCC ● If CCCV, the first consonant is an [s], and the third is a liquid or glide [r, l, w, j] ● [spl ɪ ts], [skw ɪʃ ], [skju] ● If VCCCC, the last consonant is an [s] or a [t], and it’s an affix (plural or past tense) ● [siks ɵ t] ‘I sixthed it’

Next time...