LINGUIST List 4.143

Tue 02 Mar 1993

Qs: Speaking-rate, palatalization, alphabets, Chomsky

Editor for this issue: <>

Directory

1. susan, Speaking rate in tonal languages
2. Spencer A J, Lexical and postlexical palatalizations
3. Sandra Swagten, Phonetic Alphabets
4. Ricky Jacobs, Chomsky Film

Dear Colleagues:
 I am looking for references on effect of speaking rate on tonal
production in tone languages. Please reply to me directly. Thanks.

Susan Shen
SHENEMX.CC.UTEXAS.EDU

Lexical and postlexical palatalizations

 Many languages exhibit morphophonological (non-automatic,
lexical) alternations between velar consonants and dental,
alveolar or palato-alveolar fricatives or affricates. English
'Velar Softening' is a case in point, with alternations
between k/s, g/d3. Slav languages have alternations between
k/tS or k/ts. Such alternations are usually linked (though not
very explicitly) to historical developments from surface
palatalizations.

 What seems to be vanishingly rare are cases in which
k/tS, k/ts, k/s type velar softenings occur as exceptionless,
*automatic*, postlexical, phrasal phenomena, occurring, for
instance, across word boundaries, to loan words, etc. They
always seem to be restricted to non-automatic, morphologically
conditioned alternations.

 Does anyone know of any well-attested exceptions to this
pattern where a velar softening is automatic? [Max Wheeler has
pointed out to me a reference from Mary Haas on the
development of a dialect of Arapaho, which *might* be a case
in point, but I've been unable to track down a full account.]

 Please reply to me in person - I'll post a summary of
anything interesting that emerges.

Andrew Spencer
Department of Language and Linguistics
University of Essex
Colchester CO4 3SQ
U.K.

spenaessex.ac.uk

Hi,

At SPEX we are currently trying to build up an speech archive. In this
archive we also want to store transcriptions. The problem with
transcriptions is that people deliver it in different alphabets.
We have the following questions:
 - Which alphabet would you suggest we should use in this archive?
 IPA seems to be the most extensive alphabet.
 - Is there a (standard) computer representation available for IPA?
 - Are there any mapping tables, methods, programmes to convert the
 different alphabets (COST-CPA, SAMPA, ...) into IPA?
Any help would be appreciated! Thanks in advance,

Greetings, Sandra Swagten.

P.S.
I'm not a member of this group, I hope you don't mind that I "take
advantage" of your expertise this once. Would you please email to me
directly? I'll post a resume of your answers in the group.
--
==============================================================================
| Sandra Swagten E-mail: sandraspex.nl |
| Speech Processing EXpertise centre phone : +31 70 3326282 |
| P.O.Box 421 |
| 2260 AK Leidschendam The Netherlands |
==============================================================================

Good to know about the Chomsky film and the National Film Board of Canada. I
have heard that in the U.S. one can only obtain the video via some agents
somewhere in New England and it is rumoured that the people there are not too
responsive. I would still like to try. Does anyone know the facts on thisQthe
name and address of the agency, etc?
Ricky Jacobs
Dept. of Linguistics
University of Hawaii at Manoa
Honolulu, HI 96822