|
KMID : 0917520020090040113
|
|
Journal of Speech Sciences
2002 Volume.9 No. 4 p.113 ~ p.130
|
|
|
The Tense-Lax Question and Intraoral Air Pressure in English Stops
|
|
kim Dae-Won
|
|
|
Abstract
|
|
|
|
Measurements were made of pressure rise time (PoRT), voice cessation time, flattened peak intraoral air pressure (Po), pressure static time (PoST), pressure-fall time and the duration of oral closure as four English speakers uttered isolated nonsense V_1CV_2 words containing /b/ and /p/ (V_1 = V_2 and the V was /a/), with stress on either V_1 or V_2 alternately. Tfhe hypothesis tested was: The tense stop consonant will be characterized either by a higher Po or a longer PoST, and/or by both against lax. Findings: (1) PoRT was significantly greater in /b/ than /p/, (2) the voiceless stop /p/ produced generally greater mean Po, averaged across five tokens, than its voiced counterpart /b/, but statistically insignificant, and (3) altogether, across stress, tokens and subjects, the difference in the caclulated pressure static time (PoSTc), i.e. PoST ＋ PoRT, between /p/ and /b/ was highly significant (p ≤ 0.003). Although further investigations remain to be taken, the results strongly suported the linguistic hypothesis of tense-lax distinction, with /b/ being lax and /p/ tense. Airflow resistance at the glottis and supraglottal air volume are assumed to be responsible for much of difference in PoRT between /p/ and /b/. The PoSTc reflecting, although indirectly, the respiratory efforts during the oral closure of a stop, was a convincing phonetic parameter of the consonantal tenseness based on respiratory efforts. Tfhe effects of stress on Po and PoSTc wee inconsistent, and the shorter PoRT than consonantal constriction interval was always accompanied by Po and PoST.
|
|
|
KEYWORD
|
|
|
|
|
|
FullTexts / Linksout information
|
|
|
|
|
|
Listed journal information
|
|
|
|
|