Korean Sibilant /s/ before a High Front and a Round Segment

Abstract

In this paper, we investigate acoustic characteristics of Korean /s/ when it is followed by both a high front and a round segment regardless of their order to one another. We show that Korean /s/ in this environment has characteristics of a labio-palatalized segment, being affected by both a high front and a round segment if they occur within the domain of a syllable. In the experiment, we show that Korean /s/ before a high front and a round segment shows a spectral shape different from that in other environments. Specifically, it is different from /s/ before a high front segment only, showing peaks around 2.5 kHz. Furthermore, it shows a rapid decrease of amplitude in 4-5 kHz, and sometimes another plateau of high peaks in 5-6 kHz. We also examined center of gravity frequency and band energy difference. Based on the results of this experiment, we argue that Korean /s/ is affected by the following segments within the domain of coarticulation, a syllable and that the degree of coarticulation is different from language to language.