DefinePK

Research Objective

To investigate the co-existence of tone and phonation in the Punjabi language and identify acoustic correlates for analyzing tonal contrasts and their interaction with phonation.

Methodology

The study involved recording ten native Punjabi speakers (five male, five female) from Lahore, Pakistan, saying three sets of mono-syllabic words, each set containing three words differing only in tone (Low, Mid, High). Recordings were made in a silent room using a WAV file recorder. Acoustic analysis was performed using Praat and ProsodyPro software to measure phonation correlates: H1-H2, H1-H2, and CPP. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS, employing one-way ANOVA followed by a post-hoc Bonferroni test.

Methodology Flowchart

                        graph TD
    A["Select 10 Punjabi Speakers"] --> B["Record Mono-syllabic Words with 3 Tones"];
    B --> C["Analyze Recordings"];
    C --> D["Measure Acoustic Correlates H1-H2, H1-H2, CPP"];
    D --> E["Perform Statistical Analysis ANOVA, Bonferroni"];
    E --> F["Interpret Results"];
    F --> G["Conclude on Tone-Phonation Co-existence"];                    

Discussion

The research supports the hypothesis that tone and phonation co-exist in Punjabi. While H1-H2 and H1-H2 showed some trends, CPP proved to be the most effective measure in differentiating the tones, correlating with breathiness for low tones and tenseness for high tones. This suggests that phonation plays a role in the tonal system of Punjabi, contrary to some findings in other tonal languages where tone and phonation are phonetically independent.

Key Findings

The study found that the phonation measure CPP significantly distinguished between the three Punjabi tones. Specifically, the low tone was associated with breathy phonation, the mid tone with modal phonation, and the high tone with tensest phonation. The measures H1-H2 and H1-H2 did not show statistically significant differences between the tones but indicated contrastive trends.

Conclusion

Tone and phonation significantly co-exist in the Punjabi language. The acoustic measure CPP effectively distinguished the three Punjabi tones, indicating that low tones are breathier, mid tones are modal, and high tones are tensest. While H1-H2 and H1-H2 showed less significant results, they suggested a continuum of phonation types across the tones.

Fact Check

1. Number of speakers: Ten native Punjabi speakers were recorded. (Confirmed in text)
2. Acoustic measures used: H1-H2, H1-H2, and CPP were measured. (Confirmed in text)
3. Statistical significance of CPP: The CPP measure distinguished the three Punjabi tones with statistical significance (p = 0.009). (Confirmed in text)

Mind Map