Voice Onset Time of Mankiyali Language: An Acoustic Analysis

Authors

  • Shakir Ullah Air University Islamabad, Pakistan
  • Uzma Anjum Department of English, Air University Islamabad
  • Tahir Saleem Department of English, University of Central Punjab Lahore

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17576/gema-2023-2302-14

Keywords:

VOT, Indo-Aryan, place of articulation, aspiration, acoustic analysis

Abstract

The endangered Indo-Aryan language Mankiyali, spoken in northern Pakistan, lacks linguistic documentation and necessitates research. This study explores the Voice Onset Time (VOT) values of Mankiyali's stop consonants to determine the duration of sound release, characterized as negative, positive, and zero VOTs. The investigation aims to identify the laryngeal categories present in the language. Using a mixed methods approach, data were collected from five native male speakers via the Zoom H6 platform. The study employed the theoretical framework of Fant's (1970) source filter model and analyzed each phoneme using PRAAT software. Twenty-five tokens of a single phoneme were recorded across the five speakers. The results reveal that Mankiyali encompasses three laryngeal categories: voiceless unaspirated (VLUA) stops, voiceless aspirated (VLA) stops, and voiced unaspirated (VDUA) stops. The study highlights significant differences in VOTs based on place of articulation and phonation. In terms of phonation, the VLUA bilabial stop /p/, alveolar stop /t/, and velar stop /k/ exhibit shorter voicing lag compared to their VLA counterparts /pʰ, tʰ, kʰ/. All VLUA and VLA stops display +VOT values, while all VDUA stops exhibit -VOT values. Regarding place of articulation, the bilabial /p/ demonstrates a longer voicing lag than the alveolar /t/ but a shorter lag than the velar /k/. Additionally, the results indicate similarities in voicing lag among the VDUA stops /b, d, ց/. This study offers valuable insights into the phonetic and phonological aspects of Mankiyali and holds potential significance for the language's preservation. Keywords: VOT; Indo-Aryan; place of articulation; aspiration; acoustic analysis

Author Biographies

Shakir Ullah, Air University Islamabad, Pakistan

Shakir Ullah is a Ph.D. scholar at the Department of English, Air University Islamabad, Pakistan. He is a passionate linguist dedicated to unraveling the intricacies of language and its profound impact on human communication. With a profound interest in the field of linguistics, he has obtained a solid foundation in this discipline through his academic pursuits and practical experiences. His work has been widely recognized and published in national and internal journals. His research interests include different areas of linguistics such as phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, discourse analysis, and endangered languages. He is eager to make meaningful contributions to the field of linguistics and its practical applications in our rapidly evolving world.  

Uzma Anjum, Department of English, Air University Islamabad

Uzma Anjum (Ph.D) is currently working in Air University, Islamabad as an associate professor. She is a linguist with more than fifteen years of experience in linguistic research on the minority languages of Pakistan. She has worked on the linguistic and sociolinguistic aspects of various local languages of Pakistan. Through this work, Mankiyali, hitherto undocumented, has become the 73rd language on the linguistic map of Pakistan and Ethnologue, a world wide web of world languages and communities.  She has been serving at Air University since the spring of -2016. She has also been a managing editor of an HEC-recognized research journal since then at Air University. She has been a part of the National Science Foundation Language Documentation Project on Mankiyali language, a prestigious funded project offered by the Government of USA as the Local Manager, for which she was awarded a three-month training at the University of North Texas, USA.  She has published 26 articles in journals at the national and international levels.  

Tahir Saleem, Department of English, University of Central Punjab Lahore

Tahir Saleem (Ph.D) is a highly accomplished linguist and researcher with a PhD in Linguistics & Literature from Air University Islamabad, Pakistan. With over 15 years of experience in teaching and research, he has established himself as a prominent figure in the field. Dr. Saleem's work has been widely recognized and published in top-ranked Scopus and Web of Science indexed journals. His research interests encompass various areas of linguistics, including Syntax, Morphology, Phonetics, Pragmatics, and Bilingualism. Through his extensive contributions, Dr. Tahir Saleem has made significant strides in advancing the understanding of language and its intricate structures.

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Published

2023-05-29

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Vol. 23 No. 2 (2023): May 2023

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