Say “blink”

• For each segment (phoneme) write a script using terms of the basic articulators that will say “blink.”

• Consider breathing, voicing, and controlling the nasal flow of air.

• for each segment, you need to give a clue about the PLACE where airflow is restricted and the MANNER or way(s) that airflow is controlled.

Vocal tract

IPA chart

• The horizontal axis indicates the place of obstruction--lips to glottis (front-back)

• The vertical axis indicates how or the manner of obstruction

• Vowels are continuous and unobstructed though tongue location is critical

IPA big chart

• The rightmost symbol of a pair is voiced. Shade indicates impossible articulation.

Speech acoustic terms

• Speech in terms of Hz, time, intensity• Graphic representations of sound

– Time pressure wave (intensity x time plot)– Spectrogram (Hz x time x intensity plot)– Spectrum (histogram of Hz for fixed time)

• Formant (Hz band of energy in speech, F0,F1, F2, F3, F4)

• VOT (voice onset time)• F0 is the fundamental frequency determined by rate

of open/closing vocal cords (in Hz.)

See time-pressure wave and spectrogram of “Blink” followed by “plink”

Graphic representations of “blink”-”plink”

• Notice the difference between the “voiced” B and the “unvoiced” P

Let’s say “blink” real slow

Here is a crude recipe with graphics• Follow the numbered steps

• Test that the recipe is valid at each step

• check for voicing (feel larynx)

check for nasal by pinching your nose closed

1.TAKE A BREATH

2.EXHALE, AT SAME TIME STOP AIRFLOW AT LIPS

3. CLOSE NASAL CAVITY (NO “MLINK”)

• Keep airflow out of nasal cavity with soft palate valve

4. LET PRESSURE BUILD, BLOW OPEN LIPS, START VOICING with no delay

• See voicing along the bottom-- dark bars indicate lots of energy. The blue plot tracks the F0 (fundamental).

5. ADJUST TONGUE TO QUICKLY ARTICULATE VOICED “LIN(G)”

• Transition to nasal outlet

6. OPEN NASAL CAVITY (SEE DARK BARS SHOWING NASAL RESONANCE, F4)

7. STOP ORAL AIRFLOW AT BACK OF PALATE

8. CONTINUE “NG” FOR A BIT

9. CLOSE NASAL CAVITY

• NO AIRFLOW RELEASED AT MOUTH OR NOSE

10. RELEASE STOP (velar K), NO VOICING

• Release any remaining air pressure from initial lung burst.

The end

Note the difference in the initial consonant of “plink”• The so-called phoneme segments are sets of smaller

features or instructions on saying the segment.

• [s] is an unvoiced continuous alveolar fricative.

• [z] is the voiced version

• [b] is a voiced stop

• [p] is an unvoiced stop

• Voicing here refers to onset of voicing after release of stop. Unvoiced is delayed [p]. Voiced is immediate. [b]

“Bat”

“pat”

• VOT is delayed over 30 milliseconds

Need to know--

• Fundamental frequency (Fo)

• Graphic displays of sound– Time pressure wave– Spectrogram (Hz by time by intensity)– Spectrum (a histogram showing amounts of energy present at

various Hz for a given time)

• Formant (F1, F2, F3, F4)• Place and manner of articulation• Vocal tract and its operation

– Articulatory features of [s/z], [p/b]…

Spectrum of entire slow “blink”

• Cross cursors show 25 dB (deciBels) at 2515 Hz.

• Some suggest the short term(ms) shape of such histograms are the basis for speech perception invariants - that is why we hear “blink” whether said by male, female, or infant. (The voice-recognition problem)

Acoustics,parsing &garden path sentences

• It is reasonable to suppose that the speech waveform carries some useful parsing information. Changes in the fundamental, Fo can help.

• Garden path and intonation (tracking Fo pitch plot)

• "The professor (that) the students believed () died."

• "the professor (that) the students believed (() died) was just lost."

Overview of Fo

• Parsing- prevents premature closure

• Carries lots of non-linguistic info– Sex– Accents (e.g. place of birth)– Age– Even female fertility?