Real-time MRI for speech movements (with an emphasis on velar movement
Speech movements recorded at a frame-rate of approx. 50 frames per second. Pixel resolution 1.4 x 1.4mm
The first three links show the films of three utterances with time-aligned spectrograms to assist navigation in the
films.
The following three links show alternative (larger) versions without the spectrogram.
Hint: Expanding the film to full-screen makes it easier to use the slider to look in detail at the
movements.
Credits: Recordings carried out at Max-Planck-Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen (group of Prof. Jens Frahm)
Film link 1: Complete word list, normal speed
Film link 2: Selected words, slow motion
List of the speech items, with comments
33 wüsste
Voiced fricatives, such as the initial /v/, may have slight glottal
abduction, presumably to allow sufficient airflow for the fricative
34 fiepe
Most of the target words have an unstressed second syllable, and /p/ is
the first of many examples showing that the glottal abduction for the
voiceless plosive at the beginning of an unstressed syllable may be
much smaller than that found for the same sound at the beginning of a
stressed syllable (see e.g item 48 below).
35 Sitte
Again, small amounts of abduction for the voiced fricative /z/ and the
unstressed voiceless plosive /t/
36 Flöße
This is the first of several examples showing, like the plosives, that a
voiceless fricative in the unstressed syllable has less abduction then in
the stressed syllable, but nevertheless does not show as much
reduction in the unstressed syllable as the plosive does.
37 Pfiffe
38 büßte
39 liest
For this monosyllabic word the final consonants /st/ are labelled
together with the /f/ of the following “für”, i.e there is a long period of
glottal abduction extending over 3 voiceless segments.
40 Scheffel
"husten"
Between items 40 and 41 a nice example of a cough:
Strong laryngeal closure, including false vocal folds and epiglottis, so
true vocal folds are not visible
41 Scheffel
42 sieze
43 Lethe
44 tiefe
45 Hüte
Clear abduction for /h/, but not as much as for voiceless plosives or
“strong” fricatives like /sch/ or /f/
46 fette
47 Fis
Again, a long period of abduction for final /s/, plus /f/ of following “für”
48 piepe
Together with the following item good examples of differering
amounts of reduction for plosives and fricatives in the unstressed
syllable.
See the slow-motion film for a detailed view of items 48 to
51.