Vowels
phonemes that are produced without any appreciable constriction or blockage of air flow in the vocal tract
What is the primary articulator in the production of vowels?
the tongue
Tongue height
how high or low in the oral cavity the tongue is when producing a particular vowel
Tongue advancement
how far forward or backward in the mouth the tongue is when producing a particular vowel
Vowel Quadrilateral
a two-dimensional figure that plots all of the vowels in English by their tongue advancement and height
Tense vowels
longer in duration and require more muscular effort than lax vowels
Lax Vowels
shorter in duration and require less muscular effort than tense vowels
Monophthongs
one sound; one primary articulatory position in the vocal tract; most English vowels
Diphthongs
two sounds; two distinct articulatory positions; two vowels that comprise one phoneme
Onglide
the first element of the diphthong
Offglide
the second element of a diphthong; the tongue rises when moving from the onglide to the off glide; always produced at a higher position in the oral cavity than the on glide
Resonance
the vibrating properties of any sound-producing body
Nasalization
The velum is generally raised to prevent air from being directed into the nasal cavity during their production. So vowels may take on a nasal quality due to the phonemic environment of a word
Quality
the perceptual character of a sound based on its acoustic resonance patterns
Timbre
a synonym used for sound quality
Spectrogram
a graphic representation of the three major parameters that describe the acoustic characteristic of any sound, including speech sounds
Time
the duration of any particular sound
Frequency
the number of cycles a vibrating body completes in one second
Pitch
the perceptual correlate of frequency
Intensity
the amplitude/magnitude of energy associated with a particular sound
Loudness
the perceptual correlate of intensity
spectrum
the frequency array, or energy pattern, associated with a particular phoneme
Point Vowels
one of the 4 extreme corner vowels of the vowel quadrilateral (i, ae, u, a)
rhotacization
the vowel is perceived as having an "r" quality
Formant Transition
dynamic change in the frequency of the formant from vowel to following consonant
How are vowels produced?
without significant constriction
Do kids learn vowels or consonants first?
vowels
How many letters are used for vowel sounds?
15
How many vowel sounds are there?
19
T/F: Vowel sounds can be a syllable by itself
true
How are vowel sounds labeled?
tongue position - horizontal or vertical
How are vowels characterized?
rounded or unrounded lips
T/F: Vowels are the loudest part of a word
true
T/F: vowels are always the syllable nucleus
true
What are vowels classified by?
tense and lax
How do vowels sound acoustically?
they are louder and longer
Do vowels vary greatly in pronunciation?
Yes
What is a stressed syllable?
the accented syllable
What are the stressing rules for compound words?
the first syllable is stressed and the 2nd may or may not be
Are prefixes stressed?
no
Are suffixes stressed?
no
What are the rules for proper nouns?
there are none
Is a one syllable word stressed?
yes
Is the "er" at the end of words stressed?
It is almost always unstressed
For words that can be both nouns and verbs, which is stressed and which is unstressed?
Nouns are stressed and verbs are unstressed
What is the vowel quadrilateral and what is its importance in the study of phonetics?
Every vowel in English has a unique articulatory position based on the combination of tongue height, tongue advancement, and lip rounding and the vowel quadrilateral is a visual display of all that.
How does your understanding of syllables help in understanding the use of tense and lax vowels in English?
The best way to distinguish them is to look at them in English syllables. Tense vowels are capable of ending stressed open syllables. Lax vowels never end a stressed open syllable.
How are vowels produced in the vocal tract?
Because the oral structures change during the production of each individual vowel, there is a corresponding change in the natural frequencies of vibration of the vocal tract. These changes in resonance not only give each separate vowel a unique acoustic c
Which vowels in English are rounded?
u with wings, u with feet, o, backwards c, schwa with r, epsilon with r
Which vowels in English are unrounded?
i, I, e, ae, a, ^, schwa
List the English point vowels.
i, ae, u with feet, and little a
Which vowels in English are affected syllable stress?
e/eI, o/oU, schwa/^, schwa with r/epsilon with r
What is the relationship between tongue movement and pharyngeal shape during vowel production?
As the tongue changes position for production of the individual vowels, the size and shape of the pharynx also change correspondingly.
What is a formant?
They are resonant frequencies of the vocal tract and they are represented on a spectrogram with dark horizontal lines.
What three parameters of speech acoustics are plotted on a spectrogram?
frequency, time, intensity
What affect does tongue position have on F1 and F2?
F1 is inversely related to tongue height. F2 is directly related to tongue advancement. The higher the tongue is elevated during vowel production, the lower the value of F1. The more fronted the tongue placement during vowel production, the higher the val
Why are vowels easier than consonants for kids?
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Why are vowels easier for the hearing impaired?
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