Nine Chinese Dialects Vowels And Nasal Vowels Acoustic Experimental Study

This study takes experimental methods to analysis the simple finals and the nasal consonant finals of Tai Yuan, Xi An, Ji Xi, Wen Zhou, Chang Sha, Nan Chang, Mei Xian, Guang Zhou and Fu Zhou dialects. In this research, we utilize Praat to extract data of formant and duration, and make finals model diagrams and duration histogram.We also use the Vowel Differentiation Index and the Vowel Stability Index to analysis simple finals timbre in order to find out:(1) whether the simple vowels are similar or different;(2) how is the stability of the homogenous vowel. According to our research on the simple finals of the nine dialects, conclusions can be drawn as below:(1) the simple finals timbre can be divided into five parts, such as Stable, Quasi-stable, Unstable, Quasi-differentiation, and Differentiation.(2) The finals "o" of Xi An dialect has been composited, and the simple finals of the rest of the nine dialects are homogenous vowels.(3) In the category of Quasi-differentiation and Quasi-stable, the discreteness of simple finals’F1is relatively high, that means it was unstable or in a state of differentiation.The long duration simple finals are mostly distributed in the finals "i","y","i" and "u". No definite regularity can be detected in duration and tongue position of simple finals in Tai Yuan, Xi An, Ji Xi,Wen Zhou, Chang Sha, Nan Chang and Fu Zhou dialects, while the Guang Zhou and Mei Xian dialects’duration are generally in direct proportion to the tongue location.The nasal consonant finals model diagram can visually reveal the finals variation. Comparing the nasalized simple finals with the non-nasalized simple finals and the nasalized finals-with-medial, we can draw such conclusions as:(1) The finals "5" in Ji Xi dialects has been lowered and advanced, and its Fl is unstable, F2has been differentiated or in a state of differentiation. The trend of nasalization in Chang Sha dialect made the relatively low and front finals "(?)" move to a lower and rearward position;and made the relatively high and rearward finals "o" move to a higher and front position.(2) Medial can assimilate the key vowel of final. The impact that medial "i","u","y" has on the F1may be different due to the tongue position of the key vowel of each finals, but the impact on the F2is relatively approximate, medial "i" and "y" makes the tongue position of key vowel move forward, while "u" make it move backward.Comparing the nasal consonant finals with the corresponding simple finals, and investigating the relationship between key vowel and endings of a final, we generalize about the threshold values about Fl and F2’frequency of the nasal consonant endings "m","n" and "(?)" of the nine dialects. The conclusion can mainly be state as bellow:(1) Nasal consonant endings have a anti-assimilation influence on previous vowel, and the same nasal consonant endings can have a different impact on different vowel and vice versa. The ending "(?)" exist in all the nine dialect except Ji Xi. This ending can make vowel move to a low and front position, or a low and rearward position, or simply move forward and backward. The ending "n" appeared in Changsha,Nanchang,Meixian and Guangzhou dialect, its effect on main vowel basically has:this ending can make vowel move to a low and front position, or low and rearward position, and move upward and front position, move upword and front position, even move front position and move rearward position.The ending "m" just exist in Mei Xian dialect and Guang Zhou dialect, this ending can make vowel move to a low and front position, or low and rearward position, or even move upward and backward.(2) Nine dialect nasal consonant endings ("m","n" and "(?)")Fl, F2frequency range can be put as below:the F1and F2of nasal ending "m" is200Hz-300Hz,1000Hz-1200Hz; the F1and F2of nasal ending "n" is300Hz-400Hz,1300Hz-1500Hz; he Fland F2of nasal ending "(?)" is300Hz-400Hz,1000Hz-lOHz. So300Hz is the threshold value of F1of "m","n", and "(?)",1300Hz is the threshold value of the F2of "m","n" and "(?)".(3) Fu Zhou finals (*εi(?), ou(?)) endings is strongly influenced by the front vowel "i","u". Two nasal endings’duration is only more than60ms, and the formant and the duration data show that two vowels of the nasal ending is vanishing, its nasal properties change into vowel properties and make it become nasal vowels.Main vowel is the loudest in the final’s structure, which are the most important vowels. But according to the duration data of finals from nine dialects, the main vowel duration is not entirely proportional to its structure status. There are differences between each component proportion of the duration of the final structure. Main vowel has three categories:long, medium, long and short. The medial and the syllabic ending also have three categories just like the main vowel. Therefore, duration ratio is another phonetic device to consist a final. So quality and duration constitute the finals. This paper calls this as the final’s quality and duration model. Nine dialect quality models are as follows:(1)Nasal finals:short/vowel-long/nasal final, medial/vowel-medial/nasal final;(2)VN finals:long/vowel-short/nasal consonant, short/vowel-long/nasal consonant, medial/vowel-medial/nasal consonant;(3)VVN finals:short/vowel-long/vowel-short/nasal consonant, medial/vowel-long/vowel-medial/nasal consonant, long/vowel-short/vowel-short/nasalconsonant, short Vowel-short/vowel-long/nasal consonant, medial/vowel-medial/vowel-short/nasalconsonant, medial/vowel-medial/vowel-long/nasal consonant, medial/vowel-short/Vowel-medial/nasal consonant,medial/vowel-medial/vowel-medial/nasal consonant.