Jaw movement and coronal stop spectra in Central Arrernte

This paper presents jaw movement data from two female speakers of Central Arrernte, focusing on the four coronal places of articulation (dental, alveolar, retroflex and alveo-palatal) across stop, nasal and lateral manners of articulation. It also presents spectral burst data for the stop consonants. Results suggest that when there is a clear spectral peak for the release burst, as is the case primarily for the alveo-palatal, but also for the alveolar and retroflex, the jaw remains high at stop release; but when the spectral burst has a relatively diffuse spectrum, as is the case for the dental, the jaw begins to lower before stop release in anticipation of the following vowel. In addition, there is evidence that the highest jaw target for the alveo-palatal is timed not for the release of the stop closure, but for the frication portion which follows. These results are interpreted as lending support for the view that the lower teeth play a role in stop burst release, similar to their role in sibilant fricative production. Finally, with regard to the retroflex consonants, there is evidence that the continuous upwards jaw movement during acoustic closure is associated with a low jaw position for the initial posterior placement of the tongue tip, followed by a final high jaw position at the anterior release of the tongue tip closure. These results support the view that both biomechanical and acoustic considerations play a role in speech planning and coarticulation.

► The jaw remains high at stop release for alveolar, retroflex and alveopalatal places of articulation.
► The jaw has begun to lower at stop release for the dental place of articulation.
► Spectral burst properties can explain these coarticulatory patterns.
► The alveopalatal stop is affricated, with a relatively late jaw target.
► Retroflex consonants have a very low jaw position at consonant onset, raising as the tongue moves forward.