Transcript Vocal Tract Musculature

Secondary Articulations +
Vocal Tract Physiology
April 2, 2009
Huh?
• The two most confusable consonants in the English
language are [f] and .
• (Interdentals also lack a resonating filter)
Helping Out
• Transition cues may partially distinguish labio-dentals
from interdentals.
• Normally, transitions for fricatives are similar to transitions
for stops at the same place of articulation.
• Nonetheless, phonological confusions can emerge--
• Some dialects of English substitute [f] for
• Visual cues may also play a role…
.
Acoustic Enhancement
• Fricative distinctions can be enhanced through
secondary articulations.
• E.g.:
is post-alveolar and [s] is alveolar
•  more space in vocal tract in front of
• including a “sub-lingual cavity”
• This “filter” of
resonates at lower frequencies
• In English, this acoustic distinction is enhanced
through lip rounding for
• this extends the vocal tract
• further lowers the resonant frequencies of
• another form of “adaptive dispersion”
The Sub-lingual Cavity
•Let’s check the videotape...
Behind the Constriction
[s]
• Let’s check the ultrasound…
Secondary Articulations
• What effect might lowering the center of the tongue
have on formant values?
• (think: perturbation theory)
• Check it out in Praat.
Secondary Articulations
• What effect might lowering the center of the tongue
have on formant values?
• Check it out in Praat.
Secondary Articulations
• A secondary articulation is made by superimposing a
glide-like articulation on top of another constriction
elsewhere in the vocal tract.
• Two constrictions with an unequal degree of closure:
• primary articulation: more constricted
• secondary articulation: less constricted
• The most common secondary articulations are:
• [w]
labialization
• [j]
palatalization
•
velarization
•
pharyngealization
Secondary Timing
• Secondary articulations differ from glides primarily in
terms of timing.
• [kw]: peak of labial protrusion occurs during stop closure
velum
lips
[k]
[w]
• [kw]: peak of labial protrusion occurs after stop closure
velum
lips
[k]
[w]
Palatalization
• Consonants are palatalized by making a secondary [j]
constriction.
• Russian has contrastive palatalized consonants.
Secondary Acoustics
• Acoustically, secondary articulations look like glides…
• but affect formant transitions more closely to the
primary articulation.
Russian:
“sweat”
(male name)
“drink”
Post-vocalic Position
[toth]
• Secondary articulations affect transitions both into and
out of the consonant constriction.
Labialization Examples
• In labialization, lip rounding (specifically, protrusion) is
superimposed on a fricative or stop constriction.
• Examples from Bura (spoken in Nigeria):
Labialized Labials!
[mwanta]
By the way...
• It is hypothesized that Proto-Indo-European had a
series of labialized velar stops:
• /kw/, /kwh/, /gw/, /gw /
• Over time, some IE languages maintained the velars,
while others maintained the labialization.
• *gwou
“cow, bull”
• Germanic:
[ku]

“cow”
• Latin:
[bous]

“bovine”
• *kwekwlo
“wheel”
• Old English:
[hweol]

“wheel”
• Greek:
[kuklos]

“cycle”
Pharyngealization
• Consonants are pharyngealized by superimposing a
pharynx narrowing gesture on the regular consonant
articulation.
• Mid-sagittal diagrams from Arabic:
• This is the opposite of an [ATR] gesture.
Arabic Examples
• Arabic contrasts pharyngealized and non-pharyngealized
consonants.
[t] vs.
[ti:n]
• Pharyngeal constrictions raise F1 and lower F2
• an
-like formant pattern
And now for something
completely different…
•
There are four primary active articulators in speech.
•
(articulators we can move around )
1. The lips
2. The lower jaw (mandible)
3. The tongue
4. The velum
•
The pharynx can also be constricted, to some extent.
•
Separate sets of muscles control each articulator...
Articulatory Speed
• The gold medal goes to the tongue tip...
• which is capable of 7.2 - 9.6 movements per
second.
• The rest:
• Mandible
5.9 - 8.4 movements per second
• Back of tongue 5.4 - 8.9
• Velum
5.2 - 7.8
• Lips
5.7 - 7.7
• Note: lips can be raised and lowered faster than they
can be protruded and rounded.
1. The Lips
• The orbicularis oris
muscle surrounds the lips.
• Contraction compresses
and rounds the lips.
• A muscle called the
mentalis also protrudes
the lips.
• Contraction of the
risorius muscle retracts
the corners of the lips...
• and spreads them.
By the way...
• The vowel [i] is typically produced with active lip
spreading.
• “Say cheese!”
• What acoustic effect would this have?
• Lips Normal:
• Lips Spread:
• Check ‘em out in Praat.
2. The Jaw
• Several different muscles are used to both lower and
raise the mandible.
• Primary raisers:
• Masseter
• Temporalis
• Internal
pterygoid
2. The Jaw
• Several different muscles are used to both lower and
raise the mandible.
• Lowerers:
• Anterior belly
digastricus
• Geniohyoid
• Mylohyoid
• Note: in lowering, the mandible also retracts.
Articulatory Control
• People can produce vowels perfectly fine even when
a bite block holds their jaws open. (Lindblom, 1979)
• Adults get the formants right, right from the start...
• But kids need a little time to adjust.
• Abbs et al. (1984) experimented with pulling down
people’s jaws...
• when they had to say sequences like [aba] and
[afa]!
Abbs et al. EMG data
• Lip muscles
adjust
immediately for
the sudden jaw
lowering...
• Adjustment
happens faster
than electrical
signals can
travel to the
motor cortex
and back!
3. The Tongue
•
The muscles controlling the tongue consist of:
1. Intrinsic muscles
•
(completely within the tongue)
2. Extrinsic muscles
•
•
(connect the tongue to outside structures)
The intrinsic muscles include:
1. The superior longitudinal muscle
2. The inferior longitudinal muscle
3. Transverse muscles
4. Vertical muscles
Tongue: Sagittal View
• The superior
longitudinal muscle
pulls the tongue tip up
and back.
• Instrumental in
producing alveolars
and retroflexes.
• The inferior
longitudinal muscle
pulls the tongue tip
down and back.
• Helps with tongue
blade articulations.
Tongue: Coronal View
• The transverse muscles pulls in the edges of the
tongue, and also lengthens the tongue to some extent.
• Helpful in producing laterals.
• Contraction of the vertical muscles flattens the tongue.
• Interdentals?
Extrinsic #1: Genioglossus
• The genioglossus
connects the tongue to
both the mandible and the
hyoid.
• Contraction of the
posterior genioglossus
moves the whole tongue
up and forwards.
• Crucial in palatals.
• Contraction of the
anterior genioglossus
curls the tongue tip down
and back.
Gene-ioglossus
Gene Simmons, of the rock band KISS, is
famous for his use of the genioglossus muscle.
Extrinsic #2: Styloglossus
• The styloglossus
connects the tongue to the
“styloid process” in front of
the ear.
• Pulls the tongue up and
back.
• ...for velar articulations.
• May also help groove
(sulcalize) the tongue.
Extrinsic #3: Hyoglossus
• The hyoglossus
connects the tongue to the
hyoid bone.
• Pulls the tongue down
and back.
• = pharyngeals
• Can also pull the sides of
the tongue down.
Extrinsic #4: Palatoglossus
• The palatoglossus connects
the tongue to the soft palate.
• Can be used to raise the back
of the tongue.
• And also to lower the
velum!
• Lowering the back of the
tongue may inadvertently pull
the velum down...
• leading to passive
nasalization of low vowels.
• Note: Great Lakes vowel shift
4. Velar Muscles
• The levator palatini
raises the velum.
• (connects the velum to
the temporal bone)
• The velum is lowered by
both the palatoglossus and
the palatopharyngeus...
• which connects the
palate to the pharynx.
Laminal Dentals
• check out
the labiodental flap
file
Apical Alveolars
Electropalatography
Therapeutic Applications