Glides (/w/, /j/) & Liquids (/l/, /r/)

Glides (/w/, /j/) & Liquids (/l/, /r/)Degree of ConstrictionGreater than vowels Poral slightly greater than PatmosLess than fricativesPoral for glides/liquids < Poral for fricativesConstriction lasts ~ 100 msecConstriction results in a loss in energyweaker formantsTransition ratefaster than the diphthongsslower than the stopslasts ~ 75-250 msecAssociated with1. high degree of vocal tract constriction2. articulatory transitionStephen M. Tasko1/w/Place: labialAcoustics/u/-like formant frequenciesConstriction formant valuesF1 ~ 330 HzF2 ~ 730 Hzweak F3 (~ 2300 Hz)

VwVF1F2F3100020003000Freq (Hz)Stephen M. Tasko2/j/Place: palatalAcoustics/i/-like formant frequenciesF1 ~ 300 HzF2 ~ 2200 HzF3 ~ 3000 Hz

VjVF1F2F3

100020003000Freq (Hz)Stephen M. Tasko3/j/VjV

Stephen M. Tasko4Liquids (/l/, /r/)lateral /l/Rhotic /r/Pickett (1999) considers these consonants glides as wellStephen M. Tasko5/r/Place: palatalArticulatory phoneticsVariable tongue positionsbunchedretroflexed

Allophonic VariationsSome suggestdark (CV) very low F3light (VC) F3 not as lowAcousticsHallmark of /r/ is a low F3F1 ~ 350 HzF2 ~ 1050 HzF3 ~ 1550 HzVowels have F3 above 2200 HzVowels around /r/ are colored or F3 values lower than usual

Stephen M. Tasko6/r/VrVF1F2F3

100020003000Freq (Hz)Stephen M. Tasko7Role of F3 transition in /w/ vs. /r/ perception

Stephen M. Tasko8

/r/ coloring of vowels

// //Stephen M. Tasko9Articulatory Variability and /r/Stephen M. Tasko10Point parameterized representation

Bunched

Stephen M. Tasko11Point parameterized representation

Retroflexed

Stephen M. Tasko12Between-speaker variationrowJW39 tp004rowJW45 tp004Very common

Stephen M. Tasko13Within-speaker variation: different contextrowJW37 tp009dormJW37 tp099Common

Stephen M. Tasko14Within-speaker variation: same contextrightJW37 tp009rightJW37 tp099

Not common, but possible!

Stephen M. Tasko15

N=53 normal speakersNot just two different configurations, but a whole family of possible configurationFrom Westbury et al. (1998)Stephen M. Tasko16How can these vastly different tongue configurations lead to similar acoustic/perceptual consequences?Stephen M. Tasko17

Stephen M. Tasko18SummaryThere is a wide distribution of articulatory configurations for /r/

Different articulatory configurations of /r/ are indistinguishable acoustically and perceptuallyDifferent tongue configurations can produce equivalent area functionsSome parts of the area function are more critical than others for determining key acoustic/perceptual effects

Stephen M. Tasko19Clinical DigressionClinically, /r/ is a difficult sound for children to learn.

Is there anything from our discussion that might suggest why this might be the case?Stephen M. Tasko20/l/Place: alveolarArticulatory phonetics:tongue tip contacts alveolar ridge, splitting the vocal tractIntroduces antiformants

AcousticsF1 ~ 360 HzF2 ~ 1300 HzF3 ~ 2700 HzF2 is variable and affected by vowel environmentTransition often looks more abrupt than other sounds discussedAllophonic variationsLight /l/:CV environmentDark /l/: VC environment

Stephen M. Tasko21/l/VlVF1F2F3

100020003000Freq (Hz)Stephen M. Tasko22/l/VlV

Stephen M. Tasko23