Zi-ending In Jianxian Dialect: An Experimental Phonetics Perspective

Phonetic realizations in Shanxi dialects are very complex. The initial of Zi-ending can be stops, affricates, fricatives, nasals, liquids or zero initial. The rime of Zi-ending can be a monophthong, diphthong, a monophthong plus a glottal stop and so on. Because of the complexity, the phonetic changing process of Zi-ending, especially the initial of Zi-ending, has always been focused by the scholars. The nature of Zi-ending in Jinagxian dialect is different from that in other dialects and is worthy of exploration.This paper takes Zi-ending in Jianxgian dialect as the research object. Based on our pilot study, the present study aims to answer the following questions:1. Can the [ya] realization of Zi-ending recorded in the literature be confirmed in our study? 2. If the approximant realization [(?)] for [y] is confirmed in our field work, what is the connection between it and the previously recorded fricative realization [y]? 3. What is the nature of the creaky-voice-like feature in the Zi-ending syllable? If it is proved as creaky voice, then what is the source of it? 4. Citation tone will change when a syllable is followed by Zi-ending. What are the rules of tone sandhi?In order to answer the above questions, both field work method and experimental phonetics research method are used. Twelve native speakers are chosen as the subjects in order to get the up to date speech data of Zi-ending in Jiangxian dialect. And Praat is used to analyze the data collected in order to find out the nature and characteristic of Zi-ending.Results of the experiment are based both on listening to the tokens and observing the waveforms and the spectrograms. Analysis of the collected data reveals that the onset of Zi-ending is [(?)] or (?). And the rime of Zi-ending is [(?)]. In addition, creaky voice within the Zi-ending is found in some samples. This is proved both from the aspects of spectral display and spectral tilt. Rules of tone sandhi are also found.Based on the findings of the experiment, interpretations and discussions are raised from the phonological aspect. It is proposed that Zi-ending in Jiangxian dialect undergoes the following phonetic changing process:[γ(?)]â†'[(?)]â†'[(?)]. The approximant [(?)] is weakened from [y] because of decreased degree of constriction between the velar and the back of the tongue. Afterwards the approximant is deleted as weakening goes on. And the rime of Zi-ending becoming [(?)] is lead by the change of the onset of Zi-ending. The source of creaky voice within the Zi-ending syllable is also clarified. It results from the falling tone of the syllable preceding Zi-ending.