Many linguists believe the ancient "African click languages" hold the key to understanding the ancestry and evolution of human language. Approximately 30 cultural groups still actively speak the languages, which incorporate dozens of "click consonants." Those clicks have largely remained a phonetic mystery, as linguists have typically struggled to determine the specific vocal actions required, including the direction of airflow, the constriction of the mouth and the actual articulation techniques. Ohio State University scientist Amanda Miller has devoted the past decade to unraveling those mysteries, and she believes a piece of modern technology holds the key. According to Popular Science, Miller sits with a select group of linguists who use ultrasound technology to watch "the tongue as it moves in real time." Other forms of medical technology, like MRIs, apparently aren't fast enough to effectively capture the incredibly rapid movements involved with click production. Through her ultrasound investigations, however, Miller has been able to organize and classify "more than 40 different kinds of click consonants" for the International Phonetic Alphabet language database.
Continue reading Linguists Employ Ultrasound to Unravel Mysteries of Ancient Tongues
Linguists Employ Ultrasound to Unravel Mysteries of Ancient Tongues originally appeared on Switched on Wed, 22 Dec 2010 08:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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