The Study Of Acoustic Pattern Of Stop And Affricate In Standard Mongolian

The experimental analysis was based on "An Acoustical Parameters Database of Standard Mongolian" recorded by two male speakers. The major part of the investigation concentrated on an analysis of acoustic pattern of eight voiceless stops and affricates, including [p], [ph], [t], [th], [k], [kh], [t∫], [t∫h], which occur in different positions of words.This thesis comprises five parts including Introduction, Results and Discussion, Conclusion and Implications, References and Appendixes. The first part presents the aim, significance, foundation, contents, and method of the research. The second part is the core of this thesis. It makes a statistic analysis of the distribution rule of stop and affricate in Mongolian based on the Acoustical Parameters Database of Standard Mongolian. It analyzes the acoustic pattern figure of eight voiceless stops and affricates, including [p], [ph], [t], [th], [k], [kh], [t∫], [t∫h], which occur in different positions of words, and then their aggregation features, distribution rules, and the characteristics reflected in the ordinate axis and abscissa axis will be discussed. The conclusion and implications of the thesis will be introduced in the third part.The results of the research are as follows. First, the voiceless stop and affricate in standard Mongolian mainly occur at the beginning or in the middle of a word whereas they occur less at the end of a word, and the frequency of occurrence at the beginning of a syllable is much higher than that at the end. Second, the eight voiceless stops and affricates of [p], [ph], [t], [th], [k], [kh], [t∫], [t∫h] always locate in three areas, and they make three aggregations. Third, aspirated stop [th] always locates at the highest position in the acoustic pattern figure, the unaspirated stop [t] always locates at the leftmost side, the aspirated affricate [tfh] always locates at the rightmost side, and the unaspirated sound [k] remains at the lowest position. The above four consonants show a fixed location in the pattern figure. Wherever they occur in a word, they keep the same location at the pattern figure. Fourth, although there are some differences in the length of blocking sections of the stop and affricate in different positions, the length of blocking sections is related to the tongue place, aspiration and unaspiration. Fifth, in the acoustic pattern figure, the aspirated sounds always locate at the up and right side of the unaspirated ones.