Gravitational phonetics: A method to quantify consonant-to-vowel coarticulation

Alfredo Herrero de Haro

Gravitational phonetics: A method to quantify consonant-to-vowel coarticulation

Alfredo Herrero de Haro ^[1]
1. [1] Universidad de Granada
  
  Universidad de Granada
  
  Granada, España
Localización: Estudios de fonética experimental, ISSN 1575-5533, ISSN-e 2385-3573, Nº. 35, 2026, págs. 69-102
Idioma: inglés
Títulos paralelos:
- Fonètica gravitacional: Un mètode per quantificar la coarticulació de consonant a vocal
Enlaces
- Texto completo
Resumen
- català
  Aquest article presenta un mètode per quantificar la coarticulació de consonant a vocal prenent com a cas d’estudi l’espanyol andalús oriental. S’analitzen acústicament diverses propietats de les vocals /i/, /a/ i /u/ tant aïlladescom en posició anterior i posterior a cadascuna de les consonants de l’espanyol, dins de seqüències simètriques /VˈCV/. L’estudi es basa en dades de sis parlants i un total de 2.766 vocals, analitzades mitjançant models mixtos lineals amb l’objectiu de quantificar la coarticulació de consonant a vocal. A partir d’aquestes dades, esproposa un índex fonètic gravitacional que capta el grau de canvi que cada consonant exerceix sobre les vocals adjacents. Aquest índex permet ordenar les consonants segons la intensitat dels canvis que provoquen en les vocals veïnes. L’escala obtinguda per a l’espanyol andalús oriental és coherent amb resultats previs d’estudis sobre coarticulació en altres llengües.
- English
  This paper presents a method to quantify consonant-to-vowel coarticulation using Eastern Andalusian Spanish as an example. Various features of /i/, /a/, and /u/ are analysed acoustically in isolation, and before and after each Spanish consonant in symmetrical /VˈCV/ sequences. Six speakers and 2766 vowels are analysed with linear mixed models to quantify consonant-to-vowel coarticulation. These data allow us to devise a gravitational phonetic index which captures the amount of change each consonant exerts on adjacent vowels. This index can help put consonants in order according to the intensity of changes each causes on neighbouring vowels. The scale presented for Eastern Andalusian Spanish is in line with previous findings in coarticulatory studies for other languages.
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