The stop-glide distinction: Acoustic analysis and perceptual effect of variation in syllable amplitude envelope for initial /b/ and /w/.
| Number | 549 |
|---|---|
| Year | 1986 |
| Drawer | 9 |
| Entry Date | 11/18/1999 |
| Authors | Nittrouer, S., & Studdert-Kennedy, M. |
| Contact | |
| Publication | J. Acoust. Soc. Am., 80, 1026-1029. |
| url | http://www.haskins.yale.edu/Reprints/HL0549.pdf |
| Abstract | Amplitude change at consonantal release has been proposed as an invariant acoustic property distinguishing between the classes of stops & glides (Mack, M., & Blumstein, S. E., "Further Evidence of Acoustic Invariance in Speech Production: The Stop-Glide Contrast," Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 1983, 73, 1739-1750). Following procedures of Mack & Blumstein, the amplitude change in the vicinity of the consonantal release was measured for two speakers. The results for one speaker matched those of Mack & Blumstein, & those for the second speaker showed some differences. A subsequent experiment tested the hypothesis that a difference in amplitude change serves as an invariant perceptual cue for distinguishing between continuants & noncontinuants, & more specifically, as a critical cue for identifying stops & glides (Shinn, P., & Blumstein, S. E., "On the Role of the Amplitude Envelope for the Perception [b] and [w]: Further Support for a Theory of Acoustic Invariance," Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 1984, 75, 1243-1252). Interchanging the amplitude envelopes of natural /bV/ & /wV/ syllables containing the same vowel had little effect on perception: 97% of all syllables were identified as originally produced. Thus, although amplitude change in the vicinity of consonantal release may distinguish acoustically between stops & glides with some consistency, the change is not fully invariant, & certainly does not seem to be a critical perceptual cue in natural speech. |
| Notes |
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