Gradience vs. Categories: Compensatory Voiced Fricatives and the role of duration in Western Andalusian Spanish
Author ORCID Identifier
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2104-8217
Document Type
Paper Presentation
Presenter Language
English
Research Area
Phonetics & Phonology, Variation and change
Location
MBSC Gallery Room 308
Start Date
18-10-2024 3:00 PM
End Date
18-10-2024 3:30 PM
Abstract
This paper examines the role of duration in the perception of Compensatory Voiced Fricatives (CFVs) [v ð ɣ] in Western Andalusian Spanish (WAS). These allophones result from the interaction of two phonological processes in WAS, the debuccalization of /s/ and spirantization of /b d g/. In a previous project, we observed that the sequence [u.na.β̞a.ka] versus [u.na.va.ka] resulted in the strong association of plural with the labiodental fricative productions. We showed that a singleton fricative connotes a phonological /s/, which implies new fricative allophones that phonologically compensate for the lost /s/. In an examination of the production of the CVFs, we also found that these fricative productions had a longer duration than their approximant counterparts.
The current paper seeks to investigate the role of duration in the phonological categorization of CVFs in WAS using a Visual Analog Slider task. Two voice actors recorded six word types of /b d g/ using singular-plural triplets (e.g., [u.na.β̞a.ka] versus [u.na.va.ka] versus [u.nas.β̞a.kas]). The duration of fricative productions was modified to create five versions of each word type with an increment of 15ms. (i.e., 30ms., 45ms., 60ms., 75ms., 90ms.). The approximant and overt /s/ + /b d g/ productions remained unmodified to serve as comparison. 21 participants completed an online questionnaire where they listened to each stimulus at a time, and then dragged and dropped a slider that ranged from 100% singular in the left side to 100% plural in the right side (Figure 1).
Results show that while the unmodified approximant [β̞ ð̞ ɣ̞] and overt /s/+ /b d g/ productions were identified as 100% singular and 100% plural respectively, fricative segments with a shorter duration (30 ms. and 45 ms.) were associated with the singular form of the tokens, and fricative segments with longer duration (75 ms. and 90 ms) were mostly identified as plural (Figure 2). These results suggest that it is not a simple matter of approximant vs. fricative production to differentiate between singular and plural tokens in WAS, but that the duration of the fricative segment plays a crucial role in the phonological discrimination of both sounds.
Figures and References
Gradience vs. Categories: Compensatory Voiced Fricatives and the role of duration in Western Andalusian Spanish
MBSC Gallery Room 308
This paper examines the role of duration in the perception of Compensatory Voiced Fricatives (CFVs) [v ð ɣ] in Western Andalusian Spanish (WAS). These allophones result from the interaction of two phonological processes in WAS, the debuccalization of /s/ and spirantization of /b d g/. In a previous project, we observed that the sequence [u.na.β̞a.ka] versus [u.na.va.ka] resulted in the strong association of plural with the labiodental fricative productions. We showed that a singleton fricative connotes a phonological /s/, which implies new fricative allophones that phonologically compensate for the lost /s/. In an examination of the production of the CVFs, we also found that these fricative productions had a longer duration than their approximant counterparts.
The current paper seeks to investigate the role of duration in the phonological categorization of CVFs in WAS using a Visual Analog Slider task. Two voice actors recorded six word types of /b d g/ using singular-plural triplets (e.g., [u.na.β̞a.ka] versus [u.na.va.ka] versus [u.nas.β̞a.kas]). The duration of fricative productions was modified to create five versions of each word type with an increment of 15ms. (i.e., 30ms., 45ms., 60ms., 75ms., 90ms.). The approximant and overt /s/ + /b d g/ productions remained unmodified to serve as comparison. 21 participants completed an online questionnaire where they listened to each stimulus at a time, and then dragged and dropped a slider that ranged from 100% singular in the left side to 100% plural in the right side (Figure 1).
Results show that while the unmodified approximant [β̞ ð̞ ɣ̞] and overt /s/+ /b d g/ productions were identified as 100% singular and 100% plural respectively, fricative segments with a shorter duration (30 ms. and 45 ms.) were associated with the singular form of the tokens, and fricative segments with longer duration (75 ms. and 90 ms) were mostly identified as plural (Figure 2). These results suggest that it is not a simple matter of approximant vs. fricative production to differentiate between singular and plural tokens in WAS, but that the duration of the fricative segment plays a crucial role in the phonological discrimination of both sounds.