Mongolian Alashan The Dialect Speech Acoustic Research

The Mongolian Alasha Sub-dialect refers to the sub-dialect spoken by the Mongolian people living in Alasha left and right prefectures of Alasha League. It is considered as a branch of one of the six sub-dialects of Inner Mongolia, namely the Central dialect. In this study, we based our work on the acoustical parameter database of Mongolian Alasha Sub-dialect, using a method combing quantitative and qualitative analysis to described the Alsha Sub-dialect vowels, consonants and word stress.The dissertation divided in5chapters:Introduction, Description and Analysis, Conclusion and implication, References, Appendix. Chapter III Chapter IV Chapter V are the core part of the thesis.In the introduction,(referred as Chapter I),we describe briefly the Alasha League and gibes a general overview of Alasha Sub-dialect phonology, we then justify the choice of the thesis's topic and give precision about the research materials, research aim, method, purport of the study.Chapter II, we give a brief introduction about the ideas, methods and database functions developed in "An Acoustical Parameters Database of Mongolian Alasha Sub-dialect"s.Chapter III, the study of the Alasha Sub-dialect's vowel system has led us to the following conclusions:(1) The Alasha Sub-dialect has8initial syllable short vowels/(?)/,/e/,/i/,/(?)/,/(?)/,/?/,/(?)/,/ae/;(2) The Alasha Sub-dialect's non-initial short vowels has a tendency to centralization, the six short vowels [3],[(?)],[I],[(?)],[e],[ε]can be represented by/(?)/or/θ/as being typical variant of these6vowels.(3) there is8long vowels that can be used as initial syllable and non-initial syllable:/(?):/,/e:/,/i:/,/(?):/,/(?)/,/?:/,/(?)/,/?:/. Compared with initial syllable, non-initial long vowel has a trend of centralization.(4) The Alasha sub-dialect has6diphthongs/?e/,/ui/,/ni/,/u(?)/,/(?)?/,/u?/. From acoustical perspective the diphthongs belong.to rising diphthongs.(5) In Alasha Sub-dialect there is high frequency of non-syllable vowel (reduced short vowel), which acoustical value is close to the non-initial syllable vowel [I] and [e] values, that is why it can be tagged as [e] and [i].In Chapter IV, we mainly focused the research on Alasha Sub-dialect's consonants and our analysis has led us to the following conclusions:(1)Alasha Sub-dialect have stops [p],[ph],[t],[th],[k],[kh]and affricates [ts],[tsh][(?)],[(?)]-Stops and affricates presented aggregation features in VOT, GAP grid and formed two major aggregation areas:the stops [p],[ph],[t],[th],[k],[kh] gather in front half of the two-dimensional coordinate while the affricates [ts],[tsh],[(?)],[(?)h] are concentrated in the latter half of the two-dimensional coordinate. The unaspirated stop [t] locates at the highest position in the acoustic pattern figure, and the aspirated stop [th] locates at higher position in the acoustic pattern figure. In general, unaspirated stop [t] occupies the most left position in the pattern while aspirated affricate [tsh][t(?)h] is located at the most right position.(2) Alasha Sub-dialect have voiceless fricative [s],[(?)],[x] it can be seen from the consonant [s],[(?)],[x] different locations of these in word (CF2-CF5) that their frequency distribution pattern is relatively stable. It can be judged from the distribution pattern of the three consonant's frequency (CF2-CF4), that [x] consonant's point of articulation is a bit later than [(?)].(3) The Alasha Sub-dialect have voiced consonants such as nasal [m],[n],[?]; laterals [l]; the flap/f/and semi-vowels [w],[j]. From the word's different locations,[m],[n],[?],[l],[j] consonants we have detected Frequency (VF1-VF5) parameters, the overall distribution pattern of those consonants Frequency is relatively stable. The three consonants [m],[n],[?] Frequency (VF1-VF4) distribution pattern has been observed, the difference between those consonants in mainly reflected in VF2. The consonant/f/are used at high frequency. The flap consonant/f/have four variants, namely[r],[3],[r],[(?)] and the typical variant of/f/consonant's not a trill [r] but a flap [f].(4) Consonant clusters, voiced and fricative consonants are used as front consonants while stops, affricates and fricatives used as rear consonants. These consonant clusters do not need a reduced short vowel in middle of syllable. The Chapter V, We have focused the research interest on the Alsha Sub-dialect's words stress, our analysis has led us to the following conclusions:(1) word stress and syllable type short(S) or long (L) are directle related.(2) The Alasha Sub-dialect disyllable word stress on the second syllable. S-S type, S-L type and L-L type in disyllable word the second syllables are relatively stronger than the first syllable, only L-S type in disyllable word the second syllable is weaker than the first syllables. In disyllable words including S-S, S-L, L-L and L-S type, the second syllable pitches are relatively higher than the first ones, even if the syllable type is L-L.(3) Tri-syllabic word stress has a trend of ranking backwards (except for there is a long vowel within in syllable). In tri-syllabic words including S-S-S and S-S-L syllable types, the third syllable intensity is always the strongest. In S-L-S, S-L-L, L-L-L and L-L-S syllable types, the second syllable intensity is strongest. In L-S-L and L-S-S syllable types the first syllable intensity is strongest. In tri-syllabic types S-S-S, S-S-L, S-L-S, S-L-L, L-L-L, L-L-S, L-S-L, the third syllable pitch is higher than others, but in L-S-S syllable types the second syllable pitch is higher than the first syllable and the third syllable.