Authors’ names:
Andrey V. Ivanov, Kristina G. Golubeva – N. A. Dobrolyubov Linguistics University of Nizhny Novgorod, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
Abstract:
In modern conditions, a thorough theoretical and practical understanding of an integrated linguistic picture of the world implies an integrative study of all aspects of how the language system functions, including its phonetic level. The conditions and forms of how language is used in different times and places have a direct impact on the segmental and prosodic organisation of the speech continuum. The main objective of the present article, written in the context of comprehensive studies of regional varieties of standard German pronunciation (in this case, the Austrian variant of German) is to analyse the modifications of acoustic parameters of sound signals in different temporal conditions. The subject of the study is the spectral characteristics of vowels in conditions of slow, medium, and fast tempo of speech, representing practically the whole set of oppositions which are characteristic of German vocalism. The results obtained during the experiment are compared with reference parameters, which allows a more detailed description of the qualitative changes in the vowel spectrum as the speech tempo changes. Both the experimental and reference parameters are presented in the relevant tables. The study reveals a correlation between the tempo of the utterance and the qualitative characteristics of German vowels. At a slow pace, long and short vowels are pronounced as close to the reference as possible, with little variation in the compactness feature. At medium tempo, long and short vocalic segments are realized, to some extent, as higher sounds compared to the reference parameters. According to the feature of compactness/diffuseness, long vowels come closer to the reference in their parameters, while short vowels become less compact and more labialized. At a fast pace of speech, the majority of long and short vowels are realized in parts of the spectrum which are higher than the reference. On the basis of the fea-ture of compactness/diffuseness, vowels are mostly perceived as more diffuse on the spectrum. In terms of labialisation, both long and short vowels remain close to the reference values.
| Section | LANGUAGE AND CULTURE |
| DOI: | 10.47388/2072-3490/lunn2023-63-3-58-71 |
| Downloads | 208 |
| Key words | phonetics; vowels; speech tempo; vowel quality; spectral analysis; Austrian regional variant of German language |