LINGUIST List 10.335

Thu Mar 4 1999

Qs: Throat Singing, Con clusters, Syntax, Italian

Editor for this issue: Scott Fults <scottlinguistlist.org>



We'd like to remind readers that the responses to queries are usually best posted to the individual asking the question. That individual is then strongly encouraged to post a summary to the list. This policy was instituted to help control the huge volume of mail on LINGUIST; so we would appreciate your cooperating with it whenever it seems appropriate.

Directory

  • Anthony M. Lewis, The articulatory gestures of Tuvan throat singing
  • Hideo Yamada, English consonant clusters VS Japanese phonology
  • Tamara Rae Neuberger, Lang Acquisition -- Syntax
  • Jillian R. Cavanaugh, Etruscan & Latin

    Message 1: The articulatory gestures of Tuvan throat singing

     Date: Tue, 2 Mar 1999 23:35:15 -0600
    From: Anthony M. Lewis <am-lewisstudents.uiuc.edu>
    Subject: The articulatory gestures of Tuvan throat singing




    Dear friends,

    My question has to do with the vocal configurations assumed by the traditional Tuvan throat singers of Siberia. For those of you who may not be familiar, the Tuvan Autonomous Republic is a central territory of the Russian Federation situated on the border of Russia and Mongolia. This particular style of singing (also known as "overtone" singing, and attested in other parts of the world) is most notably characterized by the singer's production of (at least ) a single, fundamental musical note, accompanied by the corresponding overtones (presumably, harmonics, of the fundamental tone). The perceptual effect is that of a robust, whistling, almost chord-like nature.

    I have two rather simple questions regarding this phenomenon: first, is this unique acoustic effect the result of a highly coordinated posturing of the vocal folds (e.g., a complex setting of register(s)... a la "soprano" in voice science terminology)?; purely supra-laryngeal in nature?; or a combination of both?. My suspicion is that the robust percept is purely the result of sustaining a configuration of the supra-laryngeal cavity which enhances certain (resonant) frequencies of the fundamental tone. I'd be most interested to hear alternative accounts (e.g., complex laryngeal posturing, contribution of the pharyngeal wall, etc.). My second question asks whether or not Tuvan singers (or any other "overtone" singers for that matter) are capable of producing more than a single "fundamental" tone (and, presumably, the corresponding harmonics) at the same time. This, as far as I can figure, would require the vocal folds to vibrate simultaneously at two different fundamental frequencies.

    If responses warrant, I will most pleased to post a summary to the list.

    Anthony M. Lewis

    Anthony M. Lewis Department of Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

    e-mail to: am-lewisuiuc.edu

    Message 2: English consonant clusters VS Japanese phonology

     Date: Wed, 03 Mar 1999 01:54:17 PST
    From: Hideo Yamada <hyamadacsulb.edu>
    Subject: English consonant clusters VS Japanese phonology


    I am a linguistic student from Japan, studying at California State University, Long Beach. I am now writing my thesis paper on the topic of comparative phonology between Japanese and English.

    My question is; English has consonant clusters, while Japanese doesn't. Therefore, when Japanese try to pronounce English words that have consonant clusters, they tend to insert certain vowels in between the clusters, which is /u/ or /o/ generally. (e.g. 'street' is not /strit/ but /sutoriito/.) Though many literatures have mentioned this phenomenon, I cannot find the reason why they choose /u/ or /o/ to insert. Are there any 'rules' to apply to this? What do other people who have similar phonological system to Japanese do when they borrow words with consonant clusters? I would like to get some useful information, advice, literatures, or anything else.

    Message 3: Lang Acquisition -- Syntax

     Date: Wed, 3 Mar 1999 13:18:54 -0500 (EST)
    From: Tamara Rae Neuberger <tamara18bu.edu>
    Subject: Lang Acquisition -- Syntax


    Dear Linguists,

    I am a graduate student currently working on a research paper for a language acquisition course. I am interested in exploring the theoretical implications of the acquisition of aspect in child language from a syntactic point of view. Unfortunately, I have had trouble locating literature on this topic. I appreciate any suggestions or leads you may have and will post a summary of any results that I receive.

    Thank you for your time,

    Tamara Rae Neuberger Boston University

    Message 4: Etruscan & Latin

     Date: Wed, 3 Mar 1999 19:08:39 -0500 (EST)
    From: Jillian R. Cavanaugh <jrc6207is4.nyu.edu>
    Subject: Etruscan & Latin


    Has there been any work done on the relationship between Etruscan and Latin, especially in terms of how Tuscan itself was formed? I've been doing research on Italian dialects, and have been trying to understand the relationships between Latin and the 'ethnical substrata' that developed into Italian regional dialects. Any references would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

    Jillian R. Cavanaugh jrc6207is4.nyu.edu Department of Anthropology New York University