Measuring Consonants

doi:10.1017/9781108644198.012

11 - Measuring Consonants

from Section III - Measuring Speech

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 November 2021

Mauricio Figueroa and

Young Shin Kim

Edited by

Rachael-Anne Knight and

Jane Setter

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Rachael-Anne Knight: Affiliation:
City, University of London
Jane Setter: Affiliation:
University of Reading

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Summary

This chapter addresses the issue of measuring consonants from an acoustic perspective. After reviewing some of the historic precedents that laid the foundations of acoustic analysis relevant for speech, the chapter provides a detailed report of the techniques for measuring the acoustic information of consonants of six manners of articulation (fricatives, stops, affricates, nasals, approximants, and the group of trills, taps and flaps). The chapter discusses links between the main articulatory characteristics of consonants of each manner and their acoustic correlates, with a focus on those acoustic variables that differentiate consonants within a manner, and on the variety of methods that are employed to measure them. Whenever possible, the chapter gives specific guidelines on how to apply the measurements, highlighting the differences in implementation between authors as well as the advantages and disadvantages of selecting one approach over another. In its closing sections, the chapter discusses some recent studies which address the issue of measuring consonants, provides some practical recommendations for teaching, and identifies some future directions for the topic.

Keywords

acoustic properties acoustic correlates perceptual cues annotation methodological approaches signal processing techniques spectral moments voice-onset time (VOT)

Type: Chapter
Information: The Cambridge Handbook of Phonetics , pp. 285 - 311

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108644198.012 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2021

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