PHONETIC AND PHONOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF ARABIC

322 Pages·2006·1.93 MB·English

PHONETIC AND PHONOLOGICAL ASPECTS
OF ARABIC EMPHATICS AND GUTTURALS

by
Musaed S. Bin-Muqbil

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of
the requirements for the degree of

Doctor of Philosophy
(Linguistics)

at the
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON
2006
© Copyright by Musaed S. Bin-Muqbil 2006
All Rights Reserved
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To my family.
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ABSTRACT

Existing formal representations of Arabic emphatic and guttural sounds are ill-
motivated articulatorily and suffer from descriptive and analytic inadequacies. This dis-
sertation aims to clarify our understanding of the articulatory attributes of these sounds as
reflected in their acoustic characteristics. The present experimental finding that the sec-
ondary articulation of emphatics is distinct from the primary articulation of gutturals re-
quires a grounded representational distinction.
Three acoustic experiments, using Modern Standard Arabic speech samples from
five male subjects, tested the acoustic characteristics of emphatics and gutturals. The first
experiment, comparing spectral qualities of consonants, found no reliable differences be-
tween spectral shapes of emphatics and non-emphatics. Acoustic attributes of uvular con-
tinuants argue for a fricative, not approximant, articulation. The second experiment ex-
amined the coarticulatory impact of consonants on formant frequencies of adjacent
vowels. Results indicate pharyngeals are more strongly associated with high F1 transi-
tions than emphatics and uvulars, which are associated with low F2 transitions. The F2
effect was stronger in emphatics than in uvulars. Emphatics and uvulars are thus under-
stood to be articulated with a retracted tongue dorsum while pharyngeals are articulated
with a retracted tongue root. Dorsal retractions in emphatics and uvulars are argued to be
qualitatively different. The third experiment investigates vowel-to-vowel coarticulation
across intervening consonants. Results show emphatics blocking or weakening coarticu-
lation. Coarticulatory effects of the three uvulars depend on their degree of constriction: a
stronger constriction corresponds to a stronger resistance to vowel-to-vowel coarticula-
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tion. Remaining sounds allow vowel-to-vowel coarticulation. These results are attributed
to articulatory differentiation: emphatics employ the styloglossus and hyoglossus for their
dorsal articulation; uvulars primarily use the palatoglossus and secondarily the styloglos-
sus.
Taken together, experimental results lead to important implications for phonetic
grounding of Arabic emphatics and gutturals: emphatics and uvulars share a secondary
dorsal component; uvulars, pharyngeals, and laryngeals share a primary radical compo-
nent. The pharynx, then, is best viewed within phonology as a single active articulator
grouping guttural subclasses into one natural class. Formal representations based on these
views are more capable of handling the patterning of these sounds in Arabic phonology.
Implications for phonological analyses of Tigre and Sta’át’imcest (Lillooet Salish) are
discussed.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Anyone who has undertaken a doctoral dissertation would, more likely than not,
remember all sorts of challenge, anxieties, and sleepless nights. They would also remem-
ber faces, names, and exchanges that soothed those pains away. I should know. There
were occasions when certain difficulties I faced bordered on being insurmountable. Luck-
ily, I was surrounded by people who were eager to lend a capable helping hand. At the
forefront is my academic advisor, Dr. Thomas Purnell. It is quite difficult to extend
enough gratitude to a man who, for several years, patiently guided my steps through this
winding road till I reached my goal. I have worked with Dr. Purnell for years and never
once do I recall him being less than gracious and supportive. Above all, he instilled in me
a great deal of confidence without which I doubt this work would have ever seen the
light. Thanks, Dr. Purnell.
I all honesty, I have been blessed with a committee of highly regarded professors
who combine mastery of their respective fields of study with welcoming attitudes. I am
greatly indebted to Dr. Raymond Kent for his direction and insights in the field of ex-
perimental phonetics. I can never forget how cheerful and respectful that man is. I have
never left him after a meeting with him without feeling much more informed than before.
I’m very proud to say that I have learned from one of the few masters in the field. I thank
Dr. Paul Milenkovic for all the help I received from him in regards to the experimental
methods used in this dissertation. He dedicated a great deal of his valuable time to the
development of a capable computer algorithm to calculate Multi-Band Spectra specifi-
cally for my dissertation. I am very grateful and I am sure many future researchers will
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be, too. I also send my gratitude to Dr. Joseph Salmons for all the generous help I have
received from him. As he would typically do, Dr. Salmons provided me with enriching
feedback that elevated the quality of my work. I thank him for it. I would also like to
thank Dr. Rand Valentine for all the advice and support I have received from him. His
cheerful attitude and consummate workmanship are example that I hope I would be able
to follow. No matter what academic degree is conferred upon me now or in the future, I
will always consider myself a student of those gentlemen.
I am grateful to King Saud University for their generosity in granting me the op-
portunity to pursue my higher studies. I am particularly indebted to the faculty of the
English Language Department for placing their faith in me and providing me with the
chance to realize my dreams.
There is no possible way that I could show my gratitude to my family. I am sure
my late father would have been very proud of me. I ask the Almighty Allah to bestow His
mercy on him. My dear mother had to endure my years-long absence in silence. Her suf-
fering and her prayers dwarf any thanks I can direct to her. I ask Allah to enable me to
honor her the way she should be honored. My gratitude to my brothers and sisters knows
no bounds. I also thank my dear relatives and my wonderful in-laws. Their prayers and
well wishes will never be forgotten. In their absence, my wonderful son Faaris has been
the source of my cheers and happiness. His laughter and playfulness never failed to ener-
gize me whenever I felt down. Many times he would wipe the worries of the outside
world off my mind with a simple ‘hala baba!’ (‘Welcome, papa!’) as I walk into the
house. My ever-flowing love and gratitude go to my dear wife Abeer who has been with
me through thick and thin. She endured more than five years away from her family just to
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share it all with me. Words can never do her justice. Thank you, Abeer. You are truly a
blessing.
My first, last, and continuous thanks go to the Almighty Allah who blessed me
with everything that I have and everything that I am. I pray to Him to enable me to use
whatever I have learned for the good of mankind.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT ……...............................................................................................................ii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...............................................................................................iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS..................................................................................................vii

LIST OF FIGURES............................................................................................................x

LIST OF TABLES...........................................................................................................xiv

CHAPTER 1 Introduction.................................................................................................1
1.1 Aims............................................................................................................1
1.2 Rationale.....................................................................................................4
1.2.1 Experimental phonetics and phonological representations.............4
1.2.2 Acoustic-articulatory relations........................................................8
1.3 Modern Standard Arabic (MSA)..............................................................14
1.4 Overview of the dissertation.....................................................................17

CHAPTER 2 Background and Literature Review..........................................................22
2.1 Basic Vocal Tract Anatomy......................................................................23
2.1.1 The Tongue...................................................................................23
2.1.2 The Pharynx..................................................................................26
2.1.3 The Soft Palate..............................................................................27
2.1.4 The Larynx....................................................................................29
2.2 Phonetic Properties of Arabic Emphatics and Gutturals...........................31
2.2.1 Emphatics......................................................................................31
2.2.2 Uvulars..........................................................................................40
2.2.3 Pharyngeals...................................................................................45
2.2.4 Laryngeals.....................................................................................50
2.3 Gutturals as a Natural Class......................................................................54
2.3.1 Morpheme Structure Constraints..................................................55
2.3.2 Guttural Lowering.........................................................................60
2.4 Representations of Emphatics and Gutturals............................................62
2.4.1 McCarthy (1994)...........................................................................65
2.4.2 Rose (1996)...................................................................................68
2.4.3 Zawaydeh (1999)..........................................................................70
2.5 Representational Problems........................................................................73

CHAPTER 3 Experiment One: The Spectral Shapes of Consonants.............................79
3.1 Overview...................................................................................................79
3.2 Methods.....................................................................................................86
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3.2.1 Subjects.........................................................................................86
3.2.2 Stimuli...........................................................................................87
3.2.3 Procedures.....................................................................................89
3.2.4 Acoustic Analysis.........................................................................90
3.2.4.1 Spectral Moments..........................................................90
3.2.4.2 Multi-Band Spectra (MBS)............................................93
3.2.5 Reliability......................................................................................93
3.3 Results.......................................................................................................94
3.3.1 Spectral Moments.........................................................................94
3.3.1.1 Voiceless Continuants – Pooled Data............................94
3.3.1.2 Voiceless Continuants – Individual Subjects.................99
3.3.1.3 Voiceless Continuants – Specific Vowel Contexts......101
3.3.1.4 Voiceless Continuants – Discriminant Analysis..........103
3.3.1.5 Voiced Continuants – Pooled Data..............................104
3.3.1.6 Voiced Continuants – Individual Subjects...................109
3.3.1.7 Voiced Continuants – Specific Vowel Contexts..........111
3.3.1.8 Voiced Continuants – Discriminant Analysis..............112
3.3.1.9 Voiceless Stops – Pooled Data....................................113
3.3.1.10 Voiceless Stops – Individual Subjects.........................117
3.3.1.11 Voiceless Stops – Specific Vowel Contexts................120
3.3.1.12 Voiceless Stops – Discriminant Analysis....................121
3.3.1.13 Voiced Stops – Pooled Data........................................122
3.3.1.14 Voiced Stops – Individual Subjects.............................125
3.3.1.15 Voiced Stops – Specific Vowel Contexts....................127
3.3.1.16 Voiced Stops – Discriminant Analysis........................127
3.3.2 Multi-Band Spectra.....................................................................128
3.3.2.1 Voiceless Continuants..................................................128
3.3.2.2 Voiceless Continuants – Discriminant Analysis..........131
3.3.2.3 Voiceless Stops............................................................132
3.3.2.4 Voiceless Stops – Discriminant Analysis.......................134
3.4 Discussion and Conclusions...................................................................135
3.5. Summary.................................................................................................143

CHAPTER 4 Experiment Two: Anticipatory and Carryover Consonant-Vowel
Coarticulation..........................................................................................145
4.1 Overview.................................................................................................145
4.2 Methods...................................................................................................149
4.2.1 Subjects.......................................................................................149
4.2.2 Stimuli.........................................................................................149
4.2.3 Procedures...................................................................................151
4.2.4 Acoustic Analysis.......................................................................151
4.2.5 Reliability....................................................................................152
4.3 Results.....................................................................................................153
4.3.1 Anticipatory (VC) Coarticulation...............................................159
4.3.1.1 Anticipatory Coarticulation in F1................................159