Diphthong and Rhotic Vowels PDF

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Professor McNamara (Unit 1)...

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Diphthong and Rhotic Vowels  Review: types of vowels o Monophthongs- one sound, one symbol o Diphthongs- movement from one position to another, two symbols  "sing it test" I-I-I-I  Diphthong articulation o These sounds are represented in phonetic transcription by 2 vowel symbols unified or "tied" that function as the single vowel within a syllable o Why 2 symbols? --> 2 sounds! o Diphthongs consist of an onglide (first sound) and offglide (last sound) o However, they serve as one vowel, and can therefore exist within the same syllable (remember- only one vowel per syllable) o o  

Diphthong /ɑɪ / bye

 o o

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**Book transcribes this as /ɑɪ/- Either are acceptable in our region Articulatory Summary Lips: Unrounded; usually make a light to moderate closing motion during the diphthong. Jaw: Mid-open to open for the onglide, closing somewhat for the offglide. Tongue: Moves from a low-back (or low-front) onglide to a mid-front or high-front offglide. Velopharynx: Closed unless in nasal context.

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Words for Vowel Recognition or Transcription Practice Sigh /saɪ/ or /sɑɪ/ Might /maɪt/ or /mɑɪt/ Mine /maɪn/ or /mɑɪn/ Like /laɪk/ or /lɑɪk/ Rhyme /raɪm/ or /rɑɪm/

o o o o

Articulatory Summary Lips: moved from a rounded to an unrounded state Jaw: mid position; may close slightly during the offglide Tongue: moves from a low-mid back or mid-back to a mid-to-high-front position. Velopharynx- closed unless in nasal context

Diphthong /ɔɪ/ boy

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Monophthongization Alteration of a diphthong to a pure vowel Can be acceptable in some circumstances/with some dipthongs!  Dialectal example:  /r ɑ d/ for /r ɑɪ d/, or / r ɑ t/ for /r ɑɪ t/  ;

Words for Vowel Recognition or Transcription Practice

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Ploy /p l ɔɪ/ Boil /b ɔɪ l/ Point /p ɔɪ n t/ Destroy /d ə s t r ɔɪ/ Alloy /æ l ɔɪ/

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Diphthong /aʊ/ bough

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Articulatory Summary Lips: Move from a relatively open unrounded state to a rounded state Jaw: Mid-open to open for the onglide; often closes somewhat for the offglide. o Tongue: Moves from an onglide position of low-front or low-mid-back to an offglide position of mid-back or high-mid-back. o Velopharynx: Closed unless in nasal context Words for Vowel Recognition or Transcription Practice Cow /kaʊ/ or /kɑʊ/ Round /raʊnd/ or /r ɑʊ n d/ Downtown /daʊntaʊn/ or /dɑʊntɑʊn/ Stout /staʊt/ or /stɑʊt/ Couch /kaʊtʃ/ or /k ɑʊt ʃ/ Maui /maʊi/ or /mɑʊi/ o o

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Diphthong /eɪ/ bay

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Articulatory Summary Lips: Mid-open and rounded Jaw: Mid; may close somewhat during the diphthong Tongue: Moves from a mid-front /e/ to a high-mid-front / ɪ/ Velopharynx: Closed unless in nasal context.

Words for Vowel Recognition or Transcription Practice Way /w eɪ/ Paid /p eɪ d/ Trade /t r eɪ d/ Ate /eɪ t/ Main /m eɪ n/

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Diphthong /oʊ/ boat

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Articulatory Summary Lips: Rounded with progressive narrowing Jaw: Mid-open; often closes slightly during the diphthong Tongue: Moves from a mid-back /o/ position to a high-mid-back / ʊ/

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Velopharynx: Closed unless in nasal context

Words for Vowel Recognition or Transcription Practice Sew /soʊ/ Slow /sloʊ/ Molded /moʊld əd/ Float /foʊt/ Rolling /roʊlɪŋ/

Phonemic vs. Non-phonemic 

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Some diphthongs are considered PHONEMIC because they cannot be reduced without changing the meaning of the word /aɪ/ /aʊ/ /ɔɪ/ E.g. “boil” vs. “ball,” “bind” vs. “bond”  B ɑɪnd = bind  B ɑnd= bond Some diphthongs are considered non-phonemic because they can be reduced to their monophthong counterparts without changing the meaning of the word (i.e. allophonic) o /oʊ/ o /eɪ/ o Example: say “boat” with the monophthong /o/ and then say it again with the diphthong /oʊ/- still means “boat”

R-colored vowels

 o

o

o

o

Use the term "r-colored vowel" to refect the fact that the rhotic segment infuences the quality of the vowel in this context  Includes /ɑr/ /ɔr/ /ir/ /ɛr/ Rhotacization Property or process related to r-coloring  A sound that has r-coloring, or it comes to have it because of contextual infuences Derhotacization  Applies to a situation in which a normally r-colored vowel loses all or part of its r-coloring SLPs: Clinically, this is what we sometimes hear in people having problems with /r/ sounds

R-colored vowels: /ɑr/ bar

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Articulatory Summary Lips: Starts unrounded; may transition to slightly unrounded. Jaw: Starts open and raises to mid-closed Tongue: Starts with tongue root retracted with the anterior tongue low, transitions to tongue root retracted but with elevated anterior tongue. Velopharynx: Normally closed Words for Vowel Recognition or Transcription Practice Star /s t ɑr/ Cartoon /k ɑr t u n/ Farm /f ɑr m/ Bark /b ɑr k/ Sharp /ʃ ɑr p/

R-colored vowels: /ɔr/ bore Articulatory Summary Lips: Usually rounded throughout articulation Jaw: Mid position followed by transition to mid-close Tongue: Tongue body begins in a low-mid and back position tongue root and elevation of the anterior tongue. Velopharynx: Normally closed

followed by retraction of the

Words for Vowel Recognition or Transcription Practice Store /s t ɔr/ Fork /f ɔr k/ Forty /f ɔr t i/ North /n ɔr θ/ Floors /f l ɔr z/

R- colored vowels: /ir/ beer Articulatory Summary Lips: Starts unrounded; may transition to slightly rounded. Jaw: Starts in a closed position and lowers to mid-closed Tongue: Tongue body begins in a high-mid, anterior position; the tongue root is in the anterior. During the rhotic portion, the tongue body moves slightly back and forms a bunched or retrofex constriction in the palatal region while the tongue root retracts to narrow the pharyngeal space. Velopharynx: normally closed

Words for Vowel Recognition or Transcription Practice Steer /stir/ Fearless /firlɛs/ Hear /hir/ Weird /wird/ Frontier /frʌntir/ IN THIS CLASS, WE WILL USE /ɛr/ FOR ALL SOUNDS THAT SOUND LIKE THIS:

Marry, Mary, merry, chair, fair, wear, Arabic, errand, etc.

R-colored vowels: /ɛr/ chair Articulatory Summary Lips: Starts unrounded; may transition to slightly rounded. Jaw: Mid position Tongue: Tongue body starts in a low-mid, anterior position; the tongue root is mid to anterior. The tongue body subsequently raises slightly to form a bunched or retrofex constriction in the palatal region. The tongue root retracts to narrow the pharyngeal space. Velopharynx: Normally closed.

Some cautions about Vowel Terminology The terms (AND SYMBOLS) used to describe vowels are not entirely accurate for all speakers (AS WE HAVE SEEN) For example, it is not always true that the vowels within the front, central, or back series are always satisfactorily distinguished by descriptions of tongue height. FOR OUR EXAMS, STICK TO THE SYMBOLS AND TERMS WE USE IN CLASS

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With so much variation, how can we tell what (vowel) someone is saying? Although everyone’s anatomy is slightly different, acoustic patterns remain the same across sounds Remember our vocal tract as a resonator? The air fows through and takes the shape of our tract (Like the playdoh going through a playdoh mold*) Formants- particular combinations of resonances (think “molds”) o We can change the SHAPE of our VOCAL TRACT to make some frequencies vibrate MORE and some vibrate LESS- this is called changing the formants of our tract o Every vowel requires a particular pattern of formants (e.g. /e/ requires a different “mold”/formant pattern than /o/ than /u/ than /i/, etc.) o And though gender infuences specific frequencies/formants, relative patterns are generally stable...