An Acoustic and Articulatory Study of the Consonants of Setswana

Georgetown University, Washington DC

Investigators

Abstract

The Setswana language, spoken in Botswana, evidences some unusual consonants and consonant combinations, some of which are predicted by linguistic theory not to exist. The present study will investigate the consonant system of Setswana, using acoustic, perceptual, aerodynamic, and ultrasound techniques. The unusual sounds will be documented in order to test whether the general descriptions that have been reported in the literature are in fact accurate. The intellectual merit of the proposed research resides in the collection of new empirical data against which linguistic claims will be tested. The results of this research will have implications for theories of possible inventories of sounds, of the physical articulatory and acoustic bases of sound changes, of the way language is processed, and of the way sounds in sequence interact, both at the physical and cognitive levels. This project will provide new acoustic and articulatory data for a language with a number of typologically rare features. Results will be disseminated via multiple venues. The research will promote cooperation between Georgetown University and the University of Botswana. New ultrasound equipment will permanently enhance the research infrastructure at Georgetown. The research will also have a significant training component. Both graduate and undergraduate students will receive training in acoustic and articulatory data analysis. Finally, the research will contribute to the participation of under-represented groups in science by providing training to a local Setswana consultant and by supporting an African woman as a postdoctoral researcher.