- Title
- Place oppositions in English coronal obstruents: an ultrasound study
- Creator
- Gonzalez Ochoa, Simon Dario
- Relation
- University of Newcastle Research Higher Degree Thesis
- Resource Type
- thesis
- Date
- 2015
- Description
- Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Description
- This thesis investigates the phonological representation of place oppositions among the English coronal obstruents /tʃ, ʃ, t, s, θ/. Current theories propose a range of feature analyses for these oppositions. The definitions proposed for the various features involve phonetic components of tongue blade and tip activity. This thesis aims to test whether these proposed phonetic correlates hold or not. I used ultrasound to measure tongue activity. Ultrasound allows for the collection of data across a broad mid-sagittal section of the tongue, though not the most anterior portions of the tongue. Consequently, there are limitations on data relating to purely tongue tip activity. There were three types of articulatory analyses. The first analysis examined the posterior cavity area. This analysis aimed to determine if variations in posterior cavity area had consistent segmental correlates. The second analysis measured the narrowest constrictions at tongue body apex and anterior constriction. This analysis aimed to measure dynamic and static patterns involving tongue points and the palate. The body apex was hypothesized to capture consistent patterns for palatals and dentals, since they are described as laminal segments. Consistent patterns in the anterior constriction would correlate with alveolar segments. This analysis also examines passive place of articulation. Consistency in the body apex location at maximum constriction would correlate with consistent palatal location as the passive articulatory target. Consistency in the anterior constriction correlates with the alveolar ridge / upper teeth as the passive articulatory target. The third analysis measured tongue displacement in two contexts, one from vowel to maximum constriction and another from maximum constriction to following vowel. The analysis aimed to determine whether tongue displacement patterns had consistent segmental correlates. If there were distinctive patterns, the analysis aimed to capture which sections of the tongue showing the displacement. Findings are summarized as follows: 1. All segments showed statistically significant tongue displacement patterns. ; 2. Palatals showed statistically significant patterns on the posterior cavity and constriction analyses. Neither alveolars nor dentals showed statistically significant patterns on these analyses. ; 3. There were no consistent patterns of passive contact. ; 4. The dental segment does not pattern with palatals in any of the analyses. ; 5. The active articulatory patterns between /tʃ/ and /ʃ/ are comparable to those of /t/ and /s/. The differences observed within these pairs are manner of articulation differences. Findings (1-3) suggest that place oppositions are most profitably described using active articulatory models. Finding (4) raises issues for hypotheses that posit a phonetic basis for grouping dentals and palatals – the features [distributed] and [laminal]. Finding (5) supports hypotheses that affricates are better analysed as a subset of stops, and not as a separate class.
- Subject
- phonological representation; place oppositions; phonetic features; English coronal obstruents; ultrasound; tongue tip; tongue body; tongue displacement; articulatory models; affricates; phonological features
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1310302
- Identifier
- uon:22020
- Rights
- Copyright 2015 Simon Dario Gonzalez Ochoa
- Language
- eng
- Full Text
- Hits: 486
- Visitors: 851
- Downloads: 364
| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT01 | Abstract | 247 KB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download | ||
| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT02 | Thesis | 27 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |