Vowel formants in the ngäbere of Costa Rica

Abstract

This paper presents the results of an acoustic analysis of the eight oral vowel phonemes in the Ngäbere of Costa Rica pronounced carefully. Based on the average frequencies of the first two formants, we discuss the phonetic properties of the vowels and their implications for the classification of the phonemes. These findings are compared to earlier published descriptions of the vowel system.

Key Words: Ngäbere language, acoustic phonetics, vowel formants, phonology, vowel phonemes.