Secondary Articulations + Vocal Tract Physiology

1. Secondary Articulations + Vocal Tract Physiology April 2, 2009

2. Huh? • The two most confusable consonants in the English language are [f] and . • (Interdentals also lack a resonating filter)

3. 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…

4. 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”

5. The Sub-lingual Cavity • Let’s check the videotape...

6. Behind the Constriction [s] • Let’s check the ultrasound…

7. Secondary Articulations • What effect might lowering the center of the tongue have on formant values? • (think: perturbation theory) • Check it out in Praat.

8. Secondary Articulations • What effect might lowering the center of the tongue have on formant values? • Check it out in Praat.

9. 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

10. Secondary Timing • Secondary articulations differ from glides primarily in terms of timing. • [kw]: peak of labial protrusion occurs during stop closure • [kw]: peak of labial protrusion occurs after stop closure velum [k] lips [w] velum [k] lips [w]

11. Palatalization • Consonants are palatalized by making a secondary [j] constriction. • Russian has contrastive palatalized consonants.

12. Secondary Acoustics • Acoustically, secondary articulations look like glides… • but affect formant transitions more closely to the primary articulation. Russian: “sweat” (male name) “drink”

13. Post-vocalic Position [toth] • Secondary articulations affect transitions both into and out of the consonant constriction.

14. Labialization Examples • In labialization, lip rounding (specifically, protrusion) is superimposed on a fricative or stop constriction. • Examples from Bura (spoken in Nigeria):

15. Labialized Labials! [mwanta]

16. 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”

17. 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.

18. Arabic Examples • Arabic contrasts pharyngealized and non-pharyngealized consonants.

19. [t] vs. [ti:n] • Pharyngeal constrictions raise F1 and lower F2 • an -like formant pattern

20. And now for something completely different… • There are four primary active articulators in speech. • (articulators we can move around ) • The lips • The lower jaw (mandible) • The tongue • The velum • The pharynx can also be constricted, to some extent. • Separate sets of muscles control each articulator...

21. 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.

22. 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.

23. 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.

24. 2. The Jaw • Several different muscles are used to both lower and raise the mandible. • Primary raisers: • Masseter • Temporalis • Internal pterygoid

25. 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.

26. 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]!

27. 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!

28. 3. The Tongue • The muscles controlling the tongue consist of: • Intrinsic muscles • (completely within the tongue) • Extrinsic muscles • (connect the tongue to outside structures) • The intrinsic muscles include: • The superior longitudinal muscle • The inferior longitudinal muscle • Transverse muscles • Vertical muscles

29. Tongue: Sagittal View • The superior longitudinalmuscle 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.

30. 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?

31. 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.

32. Gene-ioglossus Gene Simmons, of the rock band KISS, is famous for his use of the genioglossus muscle.

33. 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.

34. 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.

35. 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

36. 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.

37. Laminal Dentals • check out the labio-dental flap file

38. Apical Alveolars

39. Electro-palatography

40. Therapeutic Applications