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Czech trills revisited: An ultrasound EGG and acoustic study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 July 2014

Phil Howson ,
Ekaterina Komova  and
Bryan Gick
Phil Howson
Affiliation:
Department of Linguistics, The University of Toronto [email protected]
Ekaterina Komova
Affiliation:
Department of Asian Studies, The University of British Columbia [email protected]
Bryan Gick
Affiliation:
Department of Linguistics, The University of British Columbia & Haskins Laboratories [email protected]
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Abstract

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 [ ], 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 [ ] as a more appropriate phonetic characterization of /ř/.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the International Phonetic Association , Volume 44 , Issue 2 , August 2014 , pp. 115 - 132
Copyright
Copyright © International Phonetic Association 2014 

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