A perception-production study of Romanian diphthongs and glide-vowel sequences

Abstract

This study compares two diphthongs ([ea], [oa]) and two glide-vowel sequences ([ja], [wa]) in Romanian. The diphthongs and the sequences are auditorily very similar, but they differ in their phonological patterning. An integrated production and perception experiment is conducted in search of perceptual and acoustic evidence for the different phonological representations proposed for the diphthongs and the sequences. Four acoustic parameters of the diphthongs and sequences are measured and compared in a production study. In addition, a perception experiment tests native speakers' ability to correctly identify the two types of vocalic sequences. The results support the different representations proposed for [ea] vs. [ja], but not necessarily for [oa] vs. [wa]. This asymmetry is interpreted in the context of language-specific frequency differences, and of contrast maintenance. The study shows that detailed phonetic description is needed for a complete understanding of the phonological facts.

Proceedings of the 8th Workshop on Language Technology for Cultural Heritage, Social Sciences, and Humanities (LaTeCH)

“…Similar to Romanian (Chitoran, 2001), the glide-vowel sequence [u " a] is less frequent -in our dictionary with less than 100 occurrences -compared to the larger number of occurrences for the diphthong [o " a]. However, other dictionaries like the one of Caragiu-Marioţeanu (1997), which is complete only to the letter 'D', uses a different orthography and the actual contrasts might differ from resource to resource.…”

“…This is not the only case where orthography can influence our study. Chitoran (2002): both elements of the diphthong are represented as sharing a syllable nucleus. According to this representation, diphthongs are predicted to function as a single unit and a single segment.…”

“…are treated as single units (Chitoran, 2001) 2. maximal onset principle: |c+ -if the phoneme c is a sonority minimum then the syllable boundary is placed before the minimum and c is added to the next onset (Kahn, 1976) 3. word-medial c+nasal split: +c| -if the consonant c is a sonority minimum and it is followed by a nasal consonant (i.e. 5. split plateau: −→ | −→ -if a sonority plateau is found then put a syllable boundary in between 6. initial semisyllables consisting from consonants will be glued to the immediately next syllable 7. word-final coda can end in one or two glides -as described in Section 4.4…”

Evidence and characterization of a glide-vowel distinction in American English

“…The phonological interpretation that [j] is in the syllable margin with [C_], while [i] is further structurally separate as a member of the syllable nucleus, would suggest a tighter gestural coordination between a glide and the preceding consonant, whether directly formalized (á la Gafos, 2002) or a result of the gestural planning of the relative segmental syllabifications. While the studies above, as well as Chitoran's (2002) acoustic analysis of Romanian diphthongs, examine transition speed, this study is intended to tease transition speed apart from transition earliness as potentially distinct characteristics. To summarize, multiple characteristics related to timing could therefore be central to distinguishing a [jV] sequence from a [iV] sequence: Duration of the entire sequence, speed of transition into [_V], or earliness of transition into [_V].…”

On the syllabic structures of Aromanian

“…The purpose of the alphabet is to be more practical in the digital era, departing from other related phonemically spelled languages like Italian or Spanish. Chitoran (2002): both elements of the diphthong are represented as sharing a syllable nucleus. According to this representation, diphthongs are predicted to function as a single unit and a single segment.…”