Simultaneous measures of electropalatography and intraoral pressure in selected voiceless lingual consonants and consonant sequences of German

Abstract

This work assessed relationships among intraoral pressure (IOP), electropalatographic (EPG) measures, and consonant sequence duration, in the following obstruents, clusters, and affricates of German: /t/, /ʃ/, /ʃt/, and /ʧ͜/. The data showed significant correlations between IOP and percentage of articulatory contact (PC) for all speakers, whereas duration and place of articulation (measured by the EPG center of gravity) contributed less to IOP changes. Speakers differed in the strength of this relationship, possibly reflecting differences in vocal tract morphology or degree of laryngeal abduction. Single-point EPG and IOP measures in fricatives showed consistent correspondences across consonantal contexts, but the relationships for the stops were more complex and reflected positional effects. Temporal compression was observed for both members of the cluster, but only the fricative portion of the affricate. Conversely, coarticulation was observed for both the stop and fricative portion of the affricate, but only for the stop portion of the cluster, possibly reflecting biomechanical constraints. No clear differences were observed in coarticulatory resistance for stops and fricatives. These data contribute to a limited literature on articulatory-aerodynamic relationships in voiceless consonants and consonant sequences, and will provide a baseline for considering longer combinations of obstruents.