The Czech language has two trills produced with the anterior tongue, represented in the Czech orthography as /r/ and /ř/. The phonetic characterization of the latter trill, currently transcribed in the IPA as [r̝ ], has been especially controversial. The present study uses ultrasound, electroglottography (EGG) and acoustic evidence to examine these trills, with the particular aim of achieving a more phonetically grounded representation of /ř/. In the first part of the paper, ultrasound imaging is used to compare tongue positions between /r/ and /ř/, ruling out tongue height as the key factor distinguishing the two sounds. The second part uses EGG and acoustic evidence to examine phonatory aspects of production. Results implicate vocal fold abduction as the more robust factor distinguishing /r/ from /ř/. Consequently, we posit [r̤ ] as a more appropriate phonetic characterization of /ř/.
Previous studies comparing the articulation of the contrasting Czech trills /ř/ and /r/ have described /ř/ as being produced with the laminal portion of the tongue at a more anterior location with a narrower channel [Ladefoged and Maddieson, The Sounds of the World’s Languages Blackwell, Oxford (1996)] and using a tighter constriction than /r/ [Dankovičová, JIPA 27, 77–80 (1999)]. These observations correspond to the IPA symbol [r] with a raising diacritic, which replaced the former symbol corresponding to a voiced strident apico-alveolar trill. The current project uses B-mode and M-mode ultrasound imaging and acoustics to test these descriptions of /ř/. Preliminary results based on a single participant revealed nearly identical constriction locations for the two trills, with the /ř/ constriction vibrating a larger tongue surface area. Overall, the tongue surface is lower and more forward in the mouth for /ř/ than for /r/, making [r] with a lowering diacritic a more appropriate choice for representing this sound. Spectrographic evidence also reveals important temporal properties for /ř/. Results for additional participants will be reported. [Work supported by the NSERC.]
Previous studies have suggested that there is a difference between the Czech trills /r ̝/ and /r/ with respect to the airflow required to produce each trill. This study examines this question using an airflow meter. Five speakers of Czech produced /r ̝/ and /r/ in the real words řád “order,” pařát “talon,” tvař “face,” rád “like,” paráda “great,” and tvar “shape.” Airflow data were recorded using Macquirer. The data indicate a higher airflow during the production of /r ̝/ compared to /r/. /r ̝/ was produced with approximately 3 l/s more than /r/. The increased airflow is necessary to cross the boundary of laminar flow into turbulent flow and supports previous findings that /r ̝/ is produced with breathy voice, which facilities trilling during frication. The data also suggests that one of the factors that makes the plain trill /r/ difficult to produce is that the airflow required to produce a sonorous trill is tightly constrained. The boundaries between trill production and the production of frication are only a few l/s apart and thus requires careful management of the laryngeal mechanisms, which control airflow.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.