An articulatory study of prenuclear glides in Southwestern Mandarin
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36505/TheLinguisticProceedings/2025/16/01/010/000670Keywords:
glides, Southwestern Mandarin, EMA, articulatory timingAbstract
This study investigates the articulatory characteristics of prenuclear glides in Southwestern Mandarin (SWM) using electromagnetic articulography (EMA). Analysing gestural timing between onset consonants and glides in six speakers in their twenties, the study measured onset plateau (C1) duration and Consonant-Glide (C-G) lag, fitting least-squares regression lines to the data. Results for /pʲen/, /tʲen/, and /tʷan/ showed flat regression slopes, indicating in-phase coordination characteristic of complex segments. The /kʷan/ pattern was less conclusive but did not display typical anti-phase coordination. These findings suggest that SWM prenuclear glides are best analysed as secondary articulations of the onset consonant, forming complex segments rather than segmental sequences.
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