Research Training Program
Smithsonian
Institution
National Museum of Natural History
PROJECT SUMMARY
2008
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Maureen
Hoffmann Ives Goddard, Ph.D. "Language is
something we use |
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Seeing Sounds: Computer-assisted analysis of a dead language As
a field, linguistics attempt to explain the ways in which humans
are able to use language and how language functions as a whole.
In order to do so, linguists study the various features of individual
languages, such as the grammar (syntax), sounds (phonology),
and the meanings of words (semantics). The more information
available about these features, the better able linguists will
be at explaining human communication. This research focused
on examining phonological patterns in Unami, an Algonquian language
whose last speaker died in 2000. Recordings made in the 1960s
were analyzed using computer software that creates visual representations
of various aspects of the sounds, such as the frequency of the
sound wave (which affects the pitch) and the intensity of the
wave (which shows which sounds are stressed). Two features of
the speech were examined. The first regarded the length of various
consonants (specifically t, s, x, and sh).
In Unami, there is a distinction between short and long consonants,
meaning that there can be two identical words, except one has
a short t and the other a long t. Using a computer,
the actual duration of the consonants were measured to see if
consonant length distinctions directly correlate with the time
it takes to say them or if other factors might be involved.
The second focus was on sentence intonation. Several patterns
in the intonation were identified. Some of these were found
to cross the sentence boundary, which implies that intonation
patterns can function independently from the grammar itself.
The results of this research demonstrate the complex nature
of language and show that multiple factors must be examined
to best understand its intricacies. This research was supported by a grant from the NMNH Office of the Director. |