Abstract:

This study explores three manners of vocal fold vibration: modal (the standard mode of vibration), breathy (where the folds are held apart so that the glottis fully closes for only a very small portion of the vibration cycle), and laryngealized (where the folds are held stiffly and vibration is inhibited). Data from languages with contrasting modal and nonmodal vowels were compared with matching data from languages where nonmodal phonation on vowels is not contrastive, but rather is an effect of the preceding consonant. Three acoustic measures were used to determine the nature and duration of nonmodal phonation in Mazatec, Tagalog, Chong, Mpi, and Navajo. In the contrastive cases, nonmodal phonation never persisted through the entire vowel. It was proportionally longer, however, than in the noncontrastive cases. Results offer insights into articulator limitations, perceptually driven contrasts, and gender differences.