CoarticulationLIN 3201

CoarticulationCoarticulation

Articulation at two different places simultaneously

May be essentialessential to the nature of the sound itself [w] (voiced labial-velar approximant), [] (voiced

labial-palatal approximant)

Or environmentalenvironmental, resulting of the production of that sound in an environment of other sounds [k] rounder, with slight lip rounding, before [u]

The key to coarticulation is The key to coarticulation is that…that…

TWO DIFFERENT TWO DIFFERENT ARTICULATIONS ARTICULATIONS OCCUR AT THE OCCUR AT THE

SAME TIMESAME TIME

We’ll be most concerned with the different types of

ESSENTIAL COARTICULATIONESSENTIAL COARTICULATION

Essential Coarticulation

In the nature of the sound itself…

Type 1: Coordinate StructuresTwo equal articulations

produced at the same time

Type 2: Secondary ArticulationsOne articulation is imposed onto

another, with one articulation subordinate to the other

Coarticulation can involve two sounds of the same rank, (Coordinate)

such as [kp] (2 stops)

Or two sounds of different ranks (Secondary),

such as [tw] (stop & approximant)

NOTE: On the Ranking of Consonant NOTE: On the Ranking of Consonant StricturesStrictures

To talk about coarticulation, we must first talk about the “ranking”

of consonant strictures.

Rank is from most closed, most constricted to most open, least constricted

Stop > Trill > Fricative > Approximant > Vowel

TYPE 1 - Coordinate Structures TYPE 1 - Coordinate Structures OR Double ArticulationsOR Double Articulations

Equal sounds, of same rank (with same degree of stricture), produced at the same time

Stop-stop [gb], [kp] (have tie bar underneath to connect them) West African languages; Sherbro [gbí] ‘all’

Fricative-fricative [x] – written as [] Exists in some dialects of Swedish: skjorta [ora] ‘shirt’ Harder to produce because of maintenance of air, very rare

Approximant-approximant More common English, [w]; French [] huit [it] ‘eight’

TYPE 2 – Secondary TYPE 2 – Secondary ArticulationsArticulations

Imposition of one sound, of one rank, imposed on another;

Primary stricture usually has more stricture; secondary has less

Secondary stricture is usually an approximate

In other words…In other words…

The “primary” consonant being produced will generally be a stop or a

fricative, [tj], [sj], [kw]

while the “secondary” consonant being produced will be a sound with less

stricture, like an approximant[tj], [sj], [kw]

Major types of Secondary Major types of Secondary CoarticulationCoarticulation

**All are transcribed with diacritics**

Labialization – hold tongue at [w] while producing primary articulation; [w]

Palatalization – hold tongue at [i] while producing primary articulation; [j]

Velarization – hold tongue at velar approximant, [] while producing primary articulation; []

Pharyngealization – pushing back of tongue as downwards and as backwards as possible, as if “swallowing” while producing primary articulation; []

Nasalization – generally coarticulation with vowels; made by sending air through nasal cavity while producing primary articulation; [~]

Keep in mind…Keep in mind…

Some of these distinctions can seem very subtle, or difficult to distinguish

Sample from English: Palatalized [lj] vs. Velarized [l]

Palatalized before [j], before vowels [lj] • [lji:f] ‘leaf’ [mlj n] ‘million’

Velarized word medially and finally [l]• [fijl] ‘feel’

SequencesSequences

Sequence VS. Coarticulation

Instead of being produced simultaneously,

like coarticulated sounds, sequences

consist of two or more sounds produced right after one another

that function as a single unit in that language

Types of SequencesTypes of Sequences

Homorganic Sequences = produced with the same speech organs,

i.e. at the same place of articulation

1. Geminates – two identical or nearly identical consonant sounds

Italian [tt]; Arabic [tt] or [ll]

2. Affricates – stop released as homorganic fricative (central or lateral)

German [ts] in [tsajt] ‘time’ Navajo [tsah] ‘needle’ and [tah] ‘ointment’

Types of Sequences, cont.Types of Sequences, cont.

3. Plosion – stop released as lateral approximant or homorganic nasal, where that approximant or nasal generally functions as syllable nucleus; diacritic for syllable nucleus = []

English nasal plosion: [bejk] ‘bacon’, [sdn] ‘sudden’

English lateral plosion: [ll] ‘little’, [ml] ‘middle’

4. Pre-nasalized Stops – nasal followed by homorganic stop

[mb], [nd]