Article

Name: Articulatory parameters of palatality and palatalization in Mongolian languages

Authors: I. Ya. Selyutina

Institute of Philology of the Siberian Branch RAS, Novosibirsk, Russian Federation

In the section Фонетика

Abstract: This study determines the articulatory parameters of palatality and palatalization in the northern Mongolian languages of Russia and Mongolia. The research is based on experimental phonetic data obtained through linguistic and instrumental somatic methods, including radiography, dentopalatography, and magnetic resonance imaging. The findings enable us to assert the presence of two approaches for incorporating the concept of softness into their consonant systems. In the Khori-Buryat and Khalkha-Mongolian languages, the dominant acoustic effect for conveying the softness of sound is palatalization. Conversely, in the Kalmyk language, this function is fulfilled by middle-lingual consonants. In Mongolian languages, palatalization is characterized by more than just the upward movement of the middle part of the tongue to the hard palate, as commonly presumed in general phonetics. Additionally, it entails the forward and upward movement of the entire compressed body of the tongue. The speech tract rearrangement produces a significant posterior pharyngeal area within the resonator cavity. This particular formation is responsible for amplifying high-frequency components in the audio signal spectrum, which are perceptually associated with the softness of sound. The differences in the linguistic status of palatality (softness) and palatalization (softening) in the languages under consideration are determined by the peculiarities of the structural and taxonomic organization of the phonico-phonological systems. Despite the genetic proximity of the Khori-Buryat, Khalkha-Mongolian, and Kalmyk languages, each language employs distinct pronunciation strategies to create the auditory impression of softness. These tactics are influenced by the unique articulatory-acoustic characteristics developed within each ethnic group over centuries.

Keywords: Mongolian languages of Russia and Mongolia, phonetics, phonology, instrumental methods, consonants, additional articulation, palatality, palatalization

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