Acoustic analysis of the Syrian vowel system

Rana Almbark; Sam Hellmuth

Acoustic analysis of the Syrian vowel system

Rana Almbark, Sam Hellmuth

Department of Media, Humanities and the Arts

University of York

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › peer-review

Abstract

This paper describes the vowel system of Damascus Arabic in Syria, from now onwards referred to as Syrian Arabic (SA). We examine the acoustic correlates of SA short/long vowel contrasts, and investigate the status of mid vowels in SA. The goal is to expand on the auditory description of the SA vowel system performed by Cowell [8]. The full set of vowel categories proposed by Cowell were produced in a neutral /hVd/ context by fifteen SA speakers. Quantitative analysis of vowel duration and formant measurements confirms that the vowel system of Syrian Arabic includes the main /i(?)/, /a(?)/, and /u(?)/ short/long vowel contrasts and supports the phonemic status of mid-long vowels /e?/ and /o?/. However, the phonemic status of the mid short vowels [e] and [o] and of schwa was not supported and they are analysed as allophonic variants of their high counterparts /i/ and /u/, respectively.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Proceedings of ICPhS 2015
Editors	Maria Wolters, Judy Livingstone, Bernie Beattie, Rachel Smith, Mike MacMahon, Jane Stuart-Smith, Jim Scobbie
Publisher	University of Glasgow
Publication status	Published - 1 Aug 2015
Event	18th International Congress of Phonetic Sciences - Scottish Event Campus, Glasgow, United Kingdom Duration: 10 Aug 2015 → 14 Aug 2015 Conference number: 18 https://www.internationalphoneticassociation.org/icphs/icphs2015 (Link to Conference Details)

Conference

Conference	18th International Congress of Phonetic Sciences
Abbreviated title	ICPhS 2015
Country/Territory	United Kingdom
City	Glasgow
Period	10/08/15 → 14/08/15
Internet address	https://www.internationalphoneticassociation.org/icphs/icphs2015 (Link to Conference Details)

Access to Document

http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/28138/Licence: CC BY-NC-ND

Cite this

@inproceedings{7ff56fe912794f7badd41b00e8911d68,

title = "Acoustic analysis of the Syrian vowel system",

abstract = "This paper describes the vowel system of Damascus Arabic in Syria, from now onwards referred to as Syrian Arabic (SA). We examine the acoustic correlates of SA short/long vowel contrasts, and investigate the status of mid vowels in SA. The goal is to expand on the auditory description of the SA vowel system performed by Cowell [8]. The full set of vowel categories proposed by Cowell were produced in a neutral /hVd/ context by fifteen SA speakers. Quantitative analysis of vowel duration and formant measurements confirms that the vowel system of Syrian Arabic includes the main /i(?)/, /a(?)/, and /u(?)/ short/long vowel contrasts and supports the phonemic status of mid-long vowels /e?/ and /o?/. However, the phonemic status of the mid short vowels [e] and [o] and of schwa was not supported and they are analysed as allophonic variants of their high counterparts /i/ and /u/, respectively.",

author = "Rana Almbark and Sam Hellmuth",

year = "2015",

month = aug,

day = "1",

language = "English",

editor = "Maria Wolters and Judy Livingstone and Bernie Beattie and Rachel Smith and Mike MacMahon and Jane Stuart-Smith and Jim Scobbie",

booktitle = "Proceedings of ICPhS 2015",

publisher = "University of Glasgow",

address = "United Kingdom",

note = "18th International Congress of Phonetic Sciences, ICPhS 2015 ; Conference date: 10-08-2015 Through 14-08-2015",

url = "https://www.internationalphoneticassociation.org/icphs/icphs2015",

}

TY - GEN

T1 - Acoustic analysis of the Syrian vowel system

AU - Almbark, Rana

AU - Hellmuth, Sam

N1 - Conference code: 18

PY - 2015/8/1

Y1 - 2015/8/1

N2 - This paper describes the vowel system of Damascus Arabic in Syria, from now onwards referred to as Syrian Arabic (SA). We examine the acoustic correlates of SA short/long vowel contrasts, and investigate the status of mid vowels in SA. The goal is to expand on the auditory description of the SA vowel system performed by Cowell [8]. The full set of vowel categories proposed by Cowell were produced in a neutral /hVd/ context by fifteen SA speakers. Quantitative analysis of vowel duration and formant measurements confirms that the vowel system of Syrian Arabic includes the main /i(?)/, /a(?)/, and /u(?)/ short/long vowel contrasts and supports the phonemic status of mid-long vowels /e?/ and /o?/. However, the phonemic status of the mid short vowels [e] and [o] and of schwa was not supported and they are analysed as allophonic variants of their high counterparts /i/ and /u/, respectively.

AB - This paper describes the vowel system of Damascus Arabic in Syria, from now onwards referred to as Syrian Arabic (SA). We examine the acoustic correlates of SA short/long vowel contrasts, and investigate the status of mid vowels in SA. The goal is to expand on the auditory description of the SA vowel system performed by Cowell [8]. The full set of vowel categories proposed by Cowell were produced in a neutral /hVd/ context by fifteen SA speakers. Quantitative analysis of vowel duration and formant measurements confirms that the vowel system of Syrian Arabic includes the main /i(?)/, /a(?)/, and /u(?)/ short/long vowel contrasts and supports the phonemic status of mid-long vowels /e?/ and /o?/. However, the phonemic status of the mid short vowels [e] and [o] and of schwa was not supported and they are analysed as allophonic variants of their high counterparts /i/ and /u/, respectively.

M3 - Conference contribution

BT - Proceedings of ICPhS 2015

A2 - Wolters, Maria

A2 - Livingstone, Judy

A2 - Beattie, Bernie

A2 - Smith, Rachel

A2 - MacMahon, Mike

A2 - Stuart-Smith, Jane

A2 - Scobbie, Jim

PB - University of Glasgow

T2 - 18th International Congress of Phonetic Sciences

Y2 - 10 August 2015 through 14 August 2015

ER -

Acoustic analysis of the Syrian vowel system

Abstract

Conference

Access to Document

Fingerprint

Cite this