Variations in Color and Length of French [a] a Spectrographic Study

This experiment was undertaken to determine whether a definite relation exists in French between the duration of a vowel and its variations in color. Conforming with the terminology of Martin Joos, we use the word color rather than timbre or vowel quality. Within a limited range any vowel sound may undergo some variation in the frequency of its formants without losing its identity. This study will attempt to show that in French a definite relation exists between these frequency variations and the length of an [a] sound. Some 445 spectrograms of the French sound [a] were examined. The samples were of the broad-band or 300-cycle-filter type—all recorded from pronunciations of a single native informant. At the time the spectrograms were made, the speaker made no conscious effort to preserve the color of the vowel. He was primarily concerned with the pronunciation of the consonants which sometimes preceded and sometimes followed the [a] sounds in question

Categorization, perception, and language · History

• The color and duration of tonic french a 1

  Open Access•Andre Malecot•Lingua•1957

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