Script A
[ɑ], IPA 305
This vowel is short enough that it might be worth ignoring. On the other hand, it's
initial. So we'd better learn from it what we can. F1 is hard to see. It might
be really really low, lost in the voicing bar, or it might be that little blip at about
750 Hz. F2, probably, is that thing that starts around 1000 Hz and rises slightly. T'm
not sure about the F3 or F4, unless it's that mess around 2700-3500 Hz. But we'll ignore
that for the moment. So we've got something lowish (or extremely high) and very back
and/or round.
Lower-Case N
[n], IPA 116
So we're looking at this thing between 150 and 250 msec (or so). There's a nice little
zero around 700-800 Hz, and another above approaching 2000 Hz. So we've got something
very clearly fully voiced and sonorant, with overall weaker amplitude compared with
the vowels around it, clear zeroes, and flat(tish) formant structure. The pole (think F2)
is ambiguous for my voice, being above 1000 Hz (clearly [m] territory) and 1400-1500 Hz
(clearly [n] territory). So if you had to choose, I'm not sure which you'd choose.
Luckily there's another interpretation. Something in between labial and alveolar. Hmm.
Dental? And how might we get a dental nasal? Maybe by place assimilation with a dental
consonant? Hmm?
Okay, I don't expect you to have noticed that. Frankly I've only noticed it now that I'm trying to figure out why I thought there was a fricative in here, besides knowing the text. But if you spotted it, you could have a future in this business.
Eth
[ð], IPA 131
So there is this funny discontinuity in the upper formants, and this 'noisy' release, if
that's what you want to call it. So there's somethign at the end of that nasal we have
to account for. And since the following vowel is mostly transition, I'd say this is
a function word. And whether we want to read this as a separate thing, it's reasonable
to take an eth ([ð]) as a source for the dentality of
the nasal.
Schwa
[ə], IPA 322
Well, the F1 and F2 are bouth moving--the F1 from middish to highish and the F2 from
backish/roundish to backer/rounder. The F3 is really cruising, as is the F4. SO there's
no 'moment' here where the F1 and F2 are just doing what they want to do, suggesting
'targetless' vowel, i.e. one whose targets have been removed or expanded beyond 'targetness',
i.e. one that is reduced, i.e. schwa.
Turned R
[ɹ], IPA 151
So while we're ignoring the preceding vowel, we should be noticing that diving F3. For about
50 msecs from just after 300 msec to not quite 375 msec, there's another dip in amplitude.
And while there's attenuation in the higher frequencies, there's no obvious zero in the
lower frequencies. So we're looking at an approximant, with an absurdly low F3.
Lower-Case A + Small Capital I
[aɪ], IPA 304 + 319
Well, this spectrogram is all about the /ai/ diphthong, all in the voiceless environment,
and all in my American accent. Okay, I don't know what I was really thinking. I think
I was just desperate. Anyway, There's a fair amount of variation among the /ai/ diphthongs
in this spectrogram, but we'll concentrate on the similarities. The F2, once you get past
the transitions (around 400 msec) we've got a fairly high F1, around 750Hz or higher.
The F2 starts sort of low, so we've got something lowish and backish. The F1 transitions
downward, indicating a movement toward a higher vowel; the F2 transitions sharply upward
indicating something moving far forward in the space. Pretty classic.
Lower-Case T
[t], IPA 103
Well, there's a short gap approaching the 600 msec mark. The trannsitions in the preceding
vowel look very front-velar, but that would be wrong. There's an advantage to knowing
the text before you start this sort of ting. Okay, there's some falling apart of the
periodicity into this gap, which might indicate glottalization. Unfortunately, this is
probably a coda plosive of some kind, and I can glottalize any final plosive. But most
likely I'd glottalize a coronal. But this is sort of ambiguous.
Lower-Case N
[n], IPA 116
Well, there's evidence of voicing, lots of it, but nothing much above it. So we're looking
for something weak, but sonorant. It scould just be a weak approximant, but the total
absence of energy above the voicing bar suggests a zero, as well as general attenuation of
upper frequencies. So I'd say this was a nasal, on the balance. The pole sort of sneeaks
in at about 1300-1400 Hz as the upper frequency energy starts to creep in, which is the
best guess at place information.
Lower-Case A + Small Capital I
[aɪ], IPA 304 + 319
Here's another one. The F1 is less obvious in this, but once you make it out, it starts
out even higher than the previous one. Once you get the phrase put together, it's
clear this is a nominal head and the previous one is a modifier, so this one is less
prone to reduction than the previous one. So even though it has less amplitude, it
might be more 'prominent', whatever that means. So there's this interaction between
acoustic amplitude, peripherality/reduction, and prominance. Discuss.
Lower-Case T
[t], IPA 103
Another one of these gaps with no information in it. Leave it and get on with your life.
Eth + Raising Sign
[ð̝],
IPA 131 + 429
On the other hand, there's this noisy release. Which Could either be a very short VOT of
the preceding gap, or it could actually be a thing on its own. Which limits the possibilities.
Epsilon + Rhoticity Sign
[ɛ˞],
IPA 303 + 419
This was trouble for me. The F3, if you can tell, is not that rising thing in the F3 zone,
but that little shadow of something just above the F2. Which just goes to show you that
you have to know what you're looking at before you look at it. The F1 is not amazingly
helpful. It's sort of mid, or higher mid. The F2 is frontish but moving backer, probably
under the influence of the F3. If you believe me, then the F3 is falling, i.e. this is
rhoticized. Or rhotacised. Or something like that. If you don't, then the F3 is a little
low but rising. I think that's technically the F4. But anyway, this is a frontish, rhoticized
vowel.
Lower-Case Z
[z], IPA 133
Well, oaky, we've got some serous attenuation of amplitude, but full voicing from 975 msec to
about 1050 msec. In the higher frequencies, we've got a whole buncha noise. So we've
got something voiced and noisy. The high-frequency of the noise suggests sibilance
more than anything else, so we've got some kind of voiced sibilant. There are only two
in English. 50-50.
Schwa
[ə], IPA 322
Here again a vowel that's mostly transition. If you must know, it's mid-to-high, and very
back or round. But the roudning is probably coarticulatory with....
Lower Case W
[w], IPA 170
Again, sharply attenuated in the upper frequencies (by which I mean above 1000 Hz in this
case), but the F1, while not 'sharp', isn't particularly weak (compared for instance with
with the voicing in the [z]). The F1 is apparently so low as to disappear into the voicing
bar, the F2 is as low as it ever gets. The F3 is a little low of neutral, what you can
see of it, so this is something quite high and close, quite back and round, and almost
definitely not lateral.
Lower-Case A + Small Capital I
[aɪ], IPA 304 + 319
And here's another one of these. Also slightly 'reduced'. Does anybody hear these as
raised?
Lower-Case T
[t], IPA 103
And here's another one of these. This one has more obvious glottalization to it, although
I swear I still hear it. Oh well. Even if you didn't know, by now it should be clear that
all of these words are supposed to rhyme.
Tilde L (Dark L)
[ɫ], IPA 209
So this is fully voiced, and apparently sonorant, withno obvious low-frequency zero. So
the attenuation of the higher frequecies is probably just the tightness of the
constriction. F1 is quite low. F2 is fairly low. F3 is downright high. So
the difference between [w] and dark l?
Lower-Case A + Small Capital I
[aɪ], IPA 304 + 319
And here we are again.
Lower-Case T
[t], IPA 103
Finally, a [t] worth talking about. Nice long gap (except for whatever that stuff is
at 1750 msec). Nice sharp release with s-shaped release noise. Classic stuff.
