| Budget Amount *help |
¥2,200,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,200,000)
Fiscal Year 1995: ¥200,000 (Direct Cost: ¥200,000)
Fiscal Year 1994: ¥2,000,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,000,000)
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| Research Abstract |
I have analyzed certain sound sequences with the help of computer software called "Sound Scope II" . The notion of "degree of articulability" was proposed to cast new light on the study of syllable structures, sound sequences and speech errors. Most researchers in the past have considered that in the scale of "sonority hierarchy" , p, t and k, for example, belong to a group of stop consonants. However, I have accumulated some data to show that ta is articulated faster than ka in "taka" and it takes a longer time to articulate ka than ta in "kata" . I have hypothesized that in each pair the shorter syllable must have higher articulability than the longer one. In this way, I have proposed a hierarchy of articulability in Japanese, although additional data would be indispensable to confirm the validity of the hierarchy, because in many cases only one person's speech was analyzed. It will be absolutely necessary to apply this method to other languages in the future.
Yasushi OTerao and I also applied the notion of articulability to the study of Japanese sound exchange-type errors observed in the speech of children. For example, it was found that ra in "karada (correct form) " took a longer time than da in "kadara (incorrect form) " . Our hypothesis was that da could be regarded as a more articulable unit than ra. The data under this hypothesis seemed to coincide with the actual speech error data collected and analyzed by Terao. We will continue to investigate the topic further.
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