Articulatory characteristics of fricatives and affricates in Hindi: an electropalatographic study

This study investigates articulatory characteristics of /s, z, ∫, t∫, d 3 / in disyllabic nonsense words of the form [biCib], [buCub] and [baCab], where C represents the consonants listed above. The words were produced in a carrier sentence. Using the technique of electropalatography, quantitative and qualitative data were obtained from a speaker of Hindi. The results showed that the area of tongue-palate contact was significantly greater for the voiced fricative [z] than for the voiceless fricative [s]. In affricates, however, the contact area was significantly greater for the stop part of the voiceless affricate [t∫] than for the stop part of the voiced affricate [d 3 ]. On the other hand, the area of contact for the fricative part of [t∫] and [d 3 ] and the fricative [∫] was about the same. The area of contact for [s] and [z] was also significantly greater than for [∫] and the fricative part of [t∫] and [d∫]. The place of articulation for [∫] was significantly more posterior than for [s] and [z]. The place of articulation for the stop and fricative parts of [t∫] and [d3] partly overlapped, but did not coincide. The width of the groove for [∫] and the fricative part of [t∫] and [d 3 ] was significantly greater than for [s] and [z]; however, the length of the groove for these segments was about the same. Numerical and electropalatographic data are presented and discussed in the light of the published numerical, palatographic and/or x-ray data on the fricatives and affricates. Coarticulatory effects of vocalic context on articulatory parameters of the investigated consonants are also discussed.