Glottaling

1. Glottaling

2. 1) Investigate and explain the following concepts:
- Glottaling: Glottaling is the replacement of a consonant (in English, usually the
phonemes /t/ /p/ and /k/) by a Glottal Stop.
- Glottalization: Glottalization is a general term for any articulation involving a
simultaneous constriction, especially a glottal stop. (David Crystal, A Dictionary
of Linguistics and Phonetics. Blackwell, 1997). In other words is the addition of
a Glottal Stop before (or simultaneously) of /t/ /tʃ/ /p/ and /k/. It occurs in word-
final positions and in syllable-final clusters where /t/ /p/ or /k/ is followed by
another consonant.
It is also known as ‘glottal reinforcement’ (Higginbottom, E. (1964). Glottal
reinforcement in English. Transactions of the Philological Society, 63, 129–
142). Strictly speaking, glottalization refers only to complete vocal fold
adduction that may accompany a sound as a secondary articulation, and thus
makes no reference to the phonation of voiced segments adjacent to the glottal
stop, which is often laryngealized as the vocal folds prepare for glottal closure.
However, such laryngealized phonation is also often called glottalization,
especially when referring to its acoustic output (Huffman, M. K. (2005).
Segmental and prosodic effects on coda glottalization. Journal of Phonetics, 33,
335–362.).
- Glottal Stop: A Glottal Stop is a consonant articulation symbolized [ʔ] and
sometimes called a glottal plosive. Tight closure of the vocal folds interrupts the
pulmonic egressive airstream and this causes an increase in pressure below the
glottis. When the vocal folds part, the compressed air is released. (John Wells.
Emeritus Professor of Phonetics, UCL.)
A Glottal Stop is found at the end of a syllable (mostly occurs in the coda
position).
It is preceded by a stressed syllable.
It is preceded by a vowel or a sonorant consonant (especially, /n/ and /l/) and
followed by a consonant.
In English the glottal stop sometimes is used as an allophone of /t/. (Assist. Lec.
Majda Sabri Faris, The Glottal Stop in English: A Descriptive Study.)
Name: Sucelle Tapia
Subject: Phonetics & Phonology
Teacher: Miguel Seura.

3. Flap T: Flap T sound is like a short /d/ or, more precisely, like the quick, hard /r/
sound heard in some languages. To make the sound, you must make a quick stop
of air flow. Use the tip of your tongue behind your top teeth and make quick
contact, so the sound becomes lighter. There is no puff of air that comes out, as
when you make a true T sound.
It is typically used when there is a T between two vowel sounds (this rule also
applies between sentences) (VESL Flapping Pronunciation Tutor Tips).
When is Flap T used?
2) Describe the symbology, regions and dialects of English where this
phenomenom occurs:
Flap T /t̬/ or /ɾ/
The proper (narrow) phonetic symbol for the alveolar tap is ɾ. In phonemic
transcriptions (such as are found in dictionaries), the flap t is represented with
the same symbol as the regular t, since it belongs to the /t/ phoneme.
Nevertheless, some dictionaries use the t̬ symbol (t with a small v underneath) in
American transcriptions to indicate the places where a flap t is normally
pronounced. (Source: antimoon.com)
Spoken American English differs from British English in several ways. One
difference is that sometimes the letter t (or letters tt) in the middle of a word
aren’t pronounced like a t. This sound is called a “flap T” because the tip of the
tongue just taps the ridge behind the upper front teeth. It sounds more relaxed
than a T—more like a D. So, in the United States, a “party” often sounds like a
“pardy” and “citizen” might sound like “cidizen.”. England being the mother
country of this language, respects somewhat more the original sound of their
alphabet letters in general. Some British accents might omit the t so that it
sounds like a short pause.
Common Problem: Using a t sound instead of a flap T.
(http://www.speechcom.com/training/flap.htm)
Glottal Stop /ʔ/

4. The symbol 〈ʔ〉 is a letter of the Latin alphabet, used to represent a glottal stop in
several phonetic transcription schemes, as well as in the alphabets of some
languages. (Source: wikipedia.org).
The Glottal Stops were first documented in the late nineteenth century in
Scotland and England (Andrésen 1968; Wells 1982; Collins and Mees 1996). In
contemporary English, the phonetic context in which glottal stops appear
depends on the variety of English. Glottal Stops are extremely frequent before
consonants in many varieties. Regional variation has been observed in American
English; Byrd (1994) in an experiment recorded less overall glottaling in the
North Midland region when compared to the South and North. In addition to
phonetic context and geographic regions, the use of the glottal pronunciation has
also been linked to other factors: social class and prestige, age and gender.
Nowadays younger speakers of many forms of British English have glottal stops
at the end of words. A generation or so ago speakers of BBC English would
have regarded such a pronunciation as improper, almost as bad as producing a
glottal stop between vowels in the London Cockney pronunciation (Peter
Ladefoged, Vowels and Consonants: An Introduction to the Sounds of
Languages, Vol. 1, 2nd ed. Blackwell, 2005) .
In English the glottal stop generally appears as an allophone of /t/. This is called
Glottal Replacement and is most noticeable in the form that it takes in several
regional accents of British English (e.g. Cockney, Glasgow), where syllable-
final /t/ between two vowels is replaced by [ʔ]. The same happens with the
Australian, Estuary and General American English.
Glottalization
Glottalization is a well-researched variable most often noted in Great Britain
and Ireland but rarely in North America. Nevertheless /t/, glottalization is
reported to be more common in New York speech than in other American
dialects, appearing, for example, before syllabic /l/.
The use of this process can vary by geographical region, social factors, and by
phonologi-cal position - moreover, the phonological positions vary depending
on these other factors.
Ladefoged (2006) states that one common position is before /n/ within the word,
as in many varieties of English, including American and British varieties, have
glottal stop in coda position in general. For instance, Roberts (2006) provides
data on /t/ glottalization in Vermont English. She finds that the phenomenon is
found in speakers of all ages, and that it often occurs at the end of words,
especially pre-pausally. Some varieties allow glottal stop to appear
intervocalically as well (which is the case for Cockney English). Docherty &
Foulkes (2005) look at glottalization in the English of Tyneside (in northern
England). They find that t-glottalization is found in many environments, but
only rarely in intervocalic position or pre-pausally.
/t/ glottalization also, has been found in Scotland, Newcastle, Ipswich, Cardiff,
Appalachia and California.
Glottaling
Glottaling of /p/ and /k/ is not so common, occurring sporadically in Cockney
and other SE urban dialects.
3) Provide at least 15 examples of Glottal Stop, Glottaling and Flap T
(transcription applying symbology):
Glottal Stop

5. 1- Fountain
2- Curtain
3- Certain
4- Button
5- Britain
6- Important
7- Football
8- Fitness
9- Hit Them
10- White Mice
11- I can’t
12- If you find it, call me
13- Let me know
14- What can Tom do?
15- Peter can’t remember his doctors name
Glottaling
1- Waiter
2- Peter
3- Hotdog
4- Felt Lucky
5- Bright Red
6- Not now
7- Quite Young
8- Want one
9- Put Down
10- Cut Here
11- At last
12- Eight Books
13- What Reason
14- Don’t delay
15- Right Kind

6. Flap T
1- Butter
2- Later
3- Fattest
4- Total
5- Little
6- Water
7- Fatal
8- Dirty
9- Turtle
10- Metabolic
11- Artificial
12- Hospital
13- Went Off
14- The Point Of
15- Debating

7. Flap T
1- Butter
2- Later
3- Fattest
4- Total
5- Little
6- Water
7- Fatal
8- Dirty
9- Turtle
10- Metabolic
11- Artificial
12- Hospital
13- Went Off
14- The Point Of
15- Debating