Voicing Categories
Generative phonology attempts to formalise two distinct aspects of phonological processes: the functional and the representational. Since functions operate on representations, it is clear that the functional aspect is influenced by the form of representations: different types of representation require different types of principles or constraints. This workshop examines the representational issue in phonology and considers what kind of representation is most appropriate for recent models of generative phonology. In particular, we focus on laryngeal-source phenomena and attempt to identify suitable categories for capturing the recurrent processes involving these properties as well as their relational dimension in the phonology of different language systems.
Laryngeal-Oral Coarticulation: A Case Study
Recent studies demonstrate that the characteristic configuration of the vocal tract is achieved by both its general activation and a local activation of the relevant articulator. The valving and shaping activities of various independent articulators in the vocal tract are organised systematically, in order to produce acoustic effects for transmitting linguistic information. The purpose of this paper is to review previous studies on the control and coordination of laryngeal and oral articulations, and to discuss the phonological representation of voicing contrasts within the framework of Articulatory Phonology. We argue that it is possible to give an improved explanation for phonological phenomena by integrating an explicit mechanism of articulatory timing into phonological description. Evidence is drawn from typical allophonic variations, vowel devoicing, and the laryngeal articulation of prosody.
A Cross-linguistic Study on Voiced-Voiceless Categories
This study examines the cross-linguistic voicing categories of stops, universal characteristics related to laryngeal contrasts, and the way to represent them. Through the studies on cross-linguistic characteristics of voicing categories, it can be seen that there are both similarities and differences across languages. The similarities may be due to the common physical mechanisms in speech production and perception, while the differences may be due to articulatory organs and timing relations between glottal and supralaryngeal events. In order to characterize the cross-linguistic contrasts, four laryngeal features /voice, aspirated, tense, breathy/ are needed. The cross-linguistic differences can be expressed by the selection of such features and the selected features are implemented by language-specific maneuvers.
Phillip Backley (Tohoku Gakuin University)
In this paper we take up the issue of laryngeal contrasts in obstruents. With an emphasis on generative restrictiveness and the significance of cross-linguistic variation, we identify which phonological primes are responsible for creating laryngeal-source contrasts. In particular, we focus on languages with a two-way laryngeal contrast (the most common pattern) in obstruents. Rather than employing a single bivalent feature [±voice], we adopt the view that these languages can be classified into one of two types (aspiration type and voicing type), depending on the phonological behaviour of its phonation properties. It is also argued that the facts are best described within an approach which uses the monovalent features of Element Theory (Harris 1994, Harris & Lindsey 1995, Nasukawa 2005).
