Advanced and retracted tongue root
Advanced tongue root (ATR) | |
---|---|
◌̘ | |
◌꭪ | |
IPA Number | 417 |
Retracted tongue root (RTR) | |
---|---|
◌̙ | |
◌꭫ | |
IPA Number | 418 |
In
Advanced tongue root
Advanced tongue root, abbreviated ATR or +ATR, also called expanded, quality to the vowel.
True
The International Phonetic Alphabet represents ATR with a "left tack" diacritic, [ ̘ ].
In languages in which they occur, advanced-tongue-root vowels very often contrast with retracted tongue root (RTR) vowels in a system of vowel harmony, which occurs commonly in large parts of West Africa.[4]
ATR vowels involve a certain tension in the tongue, often in the lips and jaw as well; the ear can often perceive this tension as a "brightness" (narrow formants) compared to RTR vowels[citation needed]. Nonetheless, phoneticians do not refer to ATR vowels as tense vowels since the word tense already has several meanings in European phonetics.
Retracted tongue root
Retracted tongue root, abbreviated RTR, is the retraction of the base of the tongue in the pharynx during the pronunciation of a vowel, the opposite articulation of advanced tongue root. This type of vowel has also been referred to as pharyngealized.[5]
The neutral position of the tongue during the pronunciation of a vowel, contrasting with advanced tongue root and thus marked -ATR, is also sometimes referred to as retracted tongue root.[citation needed]
The diacritic for RTR in the International Phonetic Alphabet is the right tack, [ ̙ ].
Tongue root position and vowel harmony
As mentioned above, many African languages, such as
Fante ±ATR vowels Ortho-
graphy+ATR
value−ATR
valueApprox. European
equivalentsi /i̘/ [i] e /e̘/ /i/ [e], [ɪ] ɛ /e/ [ɛ] a /a̘/ /a/ [æ], [ɑ] ɔ /o/ [ɔ] o /o̘/ /u/ [o], [ʊ] u /u̘/ [u]
There are two harmonization rules that govern the vowels that may co-occur in a word:
- All −ATR vowels become +ATR when followed by a peripheral +ATR vowel (/i̘ a̘ u̘/). That is, orthographic e ɛ a ɔ o become i e a o u before i u and sometimes before a.
- As long as it does not conflict with the previous rule, the +ATR mid vowels (/e̘ o̘/) become −ATR high vowels (/i u/) when preceded by a −ATR non-high vowel (/e a o/). (It is not reflected in the orthography; underlying and surface vowels are both spelled e o.)
In the
Tongue root and phonation
With advances in
It is not yet clear whether that is characteristic of ±ATR distinctions in general.
Additional images
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See also
- The back-vowel constraint, an effect of tongue-root retraction in some click consonants.
References
- ^ Ladefoged & Maddieson 1996.
- ^ Ladefoged & Maddieson 1996, p. 300.
- ^ a b Vaux, Bert (1999). "A Note on Pharyngeal Features". Harvard Working Papers in Linguistics.
- ^ Ladefoged & Maddieson 1996, p. 300; 306.
- ^ Ladefoged & Maddieson 1996, p. 306.
- ^ J.E. Redden and N. Owusu (1963, 1995). Twi Basic Course. Foreign Service Institute (Hippocrene reprint).
- ^ Edmondson, Jerold A.; John H. Esling (2005). The valves of the throat and their functioning in tone, vocal register, and stress: laryngoscopic case studies.
Sources
- Ladefoged, Peter; Maddieson, Ian (1996). The Sounds of the World's Languages. Oxford: Blackwell.
External links
- Maasai Vowels, with audio examples of [+ATR] and [-ATR]