On Apical Vowels in Eastern Zhenjiang Mandarin

There is generally no distributional constraint for the apical vowels in Eastern Zhenjiang Mandarin, and the apical vowels contrast with the high front vowels when preceded by an initial consonant [p ph m t th n l ʨ ʨh ɕ] or occurring in an onset-less syllable. This paper analyzes acoustic characteristics and lingual articulation in the production of the apical vowels [ɿ ɥ] in Eastern Zhenjiang Mandarin. The results show that although accompanied by frication noise, the apical vowels [ɿ ɥ] have their own spectral properties that are distinctive to the high front vowel [i y]. The ultrasound data reveal that both the anterior and posterior parts of the tongue are involved in the production of [ɿ ɥ].