Vowels: matching of formants to articulation

Abstract

This paper presents the results of long-term studies of the vocalism of languages of different families in the Nadelyaev Laboratory of experimental phonetic research (Institute of Philology, SB RAS). The study was conducted using both somatic and acoustic research methods. The analysis involved the material collected by the author and taken from other works involving the same methods, so that all the obtained material could be comparable. Vowels were determined to be laryngeal sounds of complex formation, referred to as “laryngeal-ligamentous”, with the work of the vocal folds being a prerequisite in their production. 8 independent laryngeal-ligamentous sound types were distinguished, including laryngeal-rounded (“o”, “ö”, “y”, “ÿ”) and non-laryngeal-rounded (“a”, “e”, “ъ”, “i”). All these should be considered basic for all languages, although not all languages have implementations of all sound types. For each of these sound types, a complex articulation process in the larynx, to be identified and described, results in a sound wave characteristic of a specific sound type. In the pharynx, mouth, or nose cavity, this sound wave changes due to various articulatory movements: narrowing, compression, vibration of the scooped-out folds, movement of the body of the tongue, soft palate, lower jaw, and lips. Thus, several variants of the same sound type are produced: basic or allotypes (without additional articulation) and complicated (with additional articulation). The “Table of basic sound types” presents the basic variants with some necessary extensions and a new classification of vowels by series, with these series related to formant indicators and palatal arch. The table “Transcription designation of the main vowel settings” shows the transcription system with reference to the table “Main vowel types” in the V. M. Nadelyaev’s classification.