Beatriz Blecua

Our pilot vowel discrimination experiment addresses the competition between attentional focus and language exposure in two noise conditions using two groups of participants (L1 English-speakers (L1-EN) taking a perception test in Spanish and L1 Spanish (L1-SP) speakers taking a perception test in Spanish). Our noise conditions included three signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) conditions (-12,-6 and 0 decibels (dB)) and conditions using automatically generated multi-speaker background babble for 1-12 speakers. Our results show notable confusion by both groups in discriminating back round vowels [o] and [u] regardless of L1 or language exposure. We attribute this confusion to the fact that tongue height, detectible through F1, is obfuscated by F3 (lip rounding). In the absence of a visual input by which a listener can discriminate mid and high vowels by a control parameter such as lip aperture (or jaw angle), listeners experience notable difficulty in discerning vowel categories regardless of L1 or exposure to a target L2. Our results are consistent with the notion that both attentional focus and language exposure may provide advantages to vowel discrimination in noise, but compete in bottom-up/top-down protocols.

Citation / Cómo citar este artículo: Cicres, J. y Blecua B. Acoustic characterization of prepausal fricative rhotics in Peninsular Spanish. Loquens, 2(1), e019. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.3989/loquens.2015.019 RESUMEN: El objetivo de este estudio es presentar una caracterización acústica de las consonantes róticas prepau-sales realizadas con un único componente fricativo en español peninsular. Para ello, se analizaron cuatro variables acústicas que dan cuenta de su estructura espectral (esto es, centro de gravedad, desviación estándar, asimetría y apuntamiento) y la duración. Los resultados del análisis se compararon estadísticamente con las características es-pectrales de las consonantes fricativas /s/ (con las que comparten punto de articulación) en la misma posición. Se han hallado diferencias estadísticamente significativas en las cinco variables, siendo el centro de gravedad en las fricati-vas superior en unos 2600 Hz al centro de gravedad de las róticas. Las fricativas alveolares también muestran un re-sultado superior en la desviación estándar y en la duración. Por el contrario, con respecto al apuntamiento y a la asi-metría, los sonidos fricativos muestran valores inferiores. Finalmente, mediante el análisis lineal discriminante, se ha logrado un porcentaje de clasificaciones correctas superior al 94 % teniendo en cuenta únicamente como variables discriminantes el centro de gravedad y la asimetría. ABSTRACT: Acoustic characterization of prepausal fricative rhotics in Peninsular Spanish.– The aim of this study is to present an acoustic characterization of the prepausal rothic consonants produced with a single fricative component in Peninsular Spanish. To this end, four acoustic variables that account for their spectral structure (that is, center of gravity, standard deviation, skewness and kurtosis) and duration were analyzed. Results were statistically compared to the spectral characteristics of fricative consonants /s/ (with which they share place of articulation) in the same position. The results show significant statistical differences among the five variables, being the center of gravity of the fricatives 2600 Hz higher than the center of gravity of the rhotics. Alveolar fricatives also show higher values for the standard deviation and for the duration. On the contrary, regarding kurtosis and skewness, fricative sounds show lower values. Finally, a correct classification rate over 94% was achieved through linear discriminant analysis taking into account only the center of gravity and skewness as discriminant variables.

En el paso del latín al romance se da la progresiva desaparición de las geminadas latinas. Como paso previo, en el caso de las oclusivas, se produce la sonorización de las sordas intervocálicas, que acabarán dando sonidos aproximantes (APOTECAM > [bodega] > [ ...

RESUMEN En el marco de la Lingüística Forense o Judicial, este artículo presenta los resultados de un estu-dio sobre las consonantes róticas en posición prepausal (en habla espontánea del español centro-peninsular) con el fin de evaluar su valor forense en la identificación de hablantes. Las variables que se han analizado son el número de componentes y las características acústicas del primer y segundo componentes de la consonante, que corresponden a la fase de cierre y de abertura, res-pectivamente. Los resultados han puesto de manifiesto algunas diferencias significativas entre hablantes, por lo que se concluye que las róticas pueden ser un elemento segmental útil en la comparación de muestras de habla con fines judiciales. ABSTRACT In the context of Judiciary or Forensic Linguistics, this paper shows the results of a study on rhotic consonants in prepausal position (in the spontaneous speech of central peninsular Spanish) in order to assess their forensic value for identifying speakers. The variables that have been analysed are the number of components and the acoustic features of the first and second components of the consonant, which correspond to the closure and opening phases, respectively. The results have shown some significant differences amongst speakers, which is why the rhotics are considered a useful segmental element in comparing speech samples on judiciary purposes.

This paper provides some results obtained from a study, rooted in the forensic phonetics realm, on Spanish prepausal rhotic consonants (taken from a corpus of spontaneous speech in the Central Peninsular variety), in order to assess their forensic performance for speaker identification. The analyzed variables have been both the number of components of the consonant and the acoustic features of its first and second components, corresponding to its closing and opening phases, respectively. Results have evidenced significant differences among speakers, which leads to the conclusion that rhotics can be a useful segmental element in the process of voices comparison for forensic purposes.
Keywords: rhotics, forensic phonetics, speaker identification

"Spontaneous speech sound variation has been widely examined in studies of different kinds that put forward reduction processes to explain different acoustic realizations for a single phoneme, although there is still need to check the perceptual effects of such differences.
This study focuses on voiceless labiodental fricative in Spanish, and it is based on previous research (Batllori, Blecua y Rost 2009,2010, Blecua y Rost 2011), where acoustic realizations of /f/ in spontaneous speech were analysed. The aim of those studies was checking the existence of acoustic variation concerning /f/ and establishing the factors on which it depends. Items from 6 male subjects were analysed, obtained from a sample of spontaneous speech. Four allophones could be identified, and they were related to different steps in a continuum of articulatory reduction.
The aim of this second part of the study is testing the perceptual effects of this variation in speakers. Two kinds of perception tests have been carried out to check whether the listeners perceived any difference or not and which phoneme they identified. The results of these tests showed that relaxed realizations of /f/ are mainly associated to /b/ which proves that such variation has effects at a perceptual level and can be related to phonetic change factors.
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Phonetic analysis of the speaking styles can involve the study of the differences in the manifestation of phonetic processes. The aim of this work is to observe and classify low-level reduction processes affecting consonants by means of an acoustic and auditive analysis of a sample of spontaneous speech in Spanish. A continuum of articulatory reduction arises out of the data. Moreover, the acoustic behaviour of the processes helps to establish differences between speaking styles.

La variedad de español hablada en Mallorca presenta características particulares debidas al contacto con el catalán balear. Uno de los fenómenos en los que este contacto parece tener un papel importante es el yeísmo, ya que determinados autores (Romera 2003, Enrique-Arias 2010) han notado una cierta inhibición en la neutralización, lo que se explicaría porque el catalán balear mantiene la oposición fonológica /ʎ/ - /j/, con excepción de los casos de yeísmo histórico (iodització), en los que se suelen producir soluciones semivocálicas o incluso la elisión de la consonante (Bibiloni 2016).
Rost (2017) apunta que el yeísmo es la tendencia general en Mallorca, aunque con distinto signo al de la Península, ya que las variantes fonéticas coincidirían con las del yeísmo histórico del catalán balear. Así las cosas, interesa verificar si los bilingües mallorquines dominantes en catalán presentan un comportamiento similar a los dominantes en español o conservan la distinción.