Differentiation of Oral constrictions

A given constrictor can produce several different distinctive gestures by varying exactly

• how narrow the constriction is;
• where with respect to local anatomical landmarks the constriction occurs

Constriction Degrees

• stop ("dip, tip")
• fricative ("zip, sip")
• approximant ("rip")

What about consonant in "gyp", "chip"?

Affricate: stop (closure) + fricative (release)

What is the basis for this differentiation? Possible model.

Constriction Locations

A subset of relevant locations is shown below:

In English, tongue tip gestures can contrast in constriction location:

dental	"thin"
alveolar	"sin"
palato-alveolar	"shin"

"[th]inner" (look at first frame)	"th[is]" (look at last frame)	"she" (look at first frame)

Formalizing Gestures

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