Editing 2657: Complex Vowels
Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
The edit can be undone.
Please check the comparison below to verify that this is what you want to do, and then save the changes below to finish undoing the edit.
Latest revision | Your text | ||
Line 8: | Line 8: | ||
==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | + | {{incomplete|Created by a ROUNDED TONGUE. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}} | |
− | |||
− | + | [[File:Ipa-chart-vowels.png|thumb|200px|The IPA vowel chart]] | |
− | + | In phonetics based on the {{w|International Phonetic Alphabet}} (IPA), the space of {{w|vocal tract}} articulators determining {{w|vowel}}s (as opposed to unvoiced consonants) is represented as two-dimensional, based on the position of the tongue. The vertical axis represents vowel height (i.e. how close or far the tongue is from the top of the mouth) and the horizontal axis represents frontness/backness (i.e. how close or far the top of tongue is from the teeth). The position of the tongue, along with the frequency of the {{w|vocal cords}} vibrating in the larynx from air being exhaled by the diaphragm, is the primary determinant of the fundamental and second {{w|formant}}s of vowel sounds. | |
− | + | A third dimension of vowel sounds is the "roundedness" of the lips, and to a much lesser extent the tongue and cheeks, which is not represented on the IPA vowel chart to the right. [[Randall]] thus suggests using complex notation to indicate such a third dimension. | |
− | In linguistics, 'ə' is the {{w|schwa}} symbol, referred to in the title text | + | In mathematics, complex numbers are numbers including both real numbers and imaginary numbers. A complex number can be expressed as "''a'' + ''b''i" where ''a'' and ''b'' are real numbers, but the latter is combined with i, the imaginary part, to convey a multiple of the square root of negative one. When expanding the one-dimensional number line with an imaginary axis, it becomes two-dimensional with any 'b' component being represented perpendicularly away from the original 'real' line. Linguists never use the {{w|complex plane}} to represent vowel roundedness.{{cn}} Other higher-dimensional vowel representations include {{w|diphthong}}s, which are simply two sequential vowels slurred together; diphones, which represent the last half of one phoneme followed by the first half of the next; the {{w|vowel shift}} mappings delineating different accents and long-term evolution of voiced phone sounds; and {{w|cepstrum|ceptstral}} representations such as {{w|Mel-frequency cepstrum|mel-frequency ceptstral coefficients}}. |
+ | |||
+ | This comic conflates complex numbers in mathematics with "complex vowels" in linguistics. Such complex vowels create sounds which cannot be properly processed by the human brain, represented graphically as {{w|Zalgo text}} IPA, similarly to the cliche of "black speech" in {{w|Lovecraftian horror}}, a language created by alien beings with different vocal patterns than humans. In reality, people find Zalgo text amusing, thus the humor of the comic, but not particularly insanity-inducing or even more than mildly confusing. | ||
+ | |||
+ | In linguistics, 'ə' is the {{w|schwa}} symbol, referred to in the title text as well as the depiction of complex phonemes, the most common vowel sound in English polysyllabic words (the 'a' in 'comma' or the second 'e' in 'letter'). Production of the schwa sound takes place with the tongue, jaw, and lips all in a relaxed, central position. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The linguist in the comic appears to be {{w|Gretchen McCulloch}}, as previously depicted in [[2421: Tower of Babel]] and [[2381: The True Name of the Bear]]. | ||
==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
− | :[A diagram shows the extrusion of the trapezoidal IPA vowel chart upwards into three dimensions. A point near the center is labeled with an equation that shows "ə + | + | {{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}} |
+ | |||
+ | :[A diagram shows the extrusion of the trapezoidal IPA vowel chart upwards into three dimensions. A point near the center is labeled with an equation that shows "ə + 1/2 * sqrt(-1)" as being equivalent to a made-up symbol that looks like two schwas mirroring each other with other markings above and below.] | ||
:[Below the diagram, a character with shoulder-length dark wavy hair pronounces the new vowel in a speech bubble with unstable lines surrounding it. Two bystanders to her right are bent over slightly, clutching their heads in apparent anguish.] | :[Below the diagram, a character with shoulder-length dark wavy hair pronounces the new vowel in a speech bubble with unstable lines surrounding it. Two bystanders to her right are bent over slightly, clutching their heads in apparent anguish.] | ||
:[Caption below the panel:] | :[Caption below the panel:] | ||
− | :Linguistics tip: Extend the IPA vowel plane along the imaginary axis to produce | + | :Linguistics tip: Extend the IPA vowel plane along the imaginary axis to produce ''complex vowels'', cursed sounds which the human mind cannot comprehend. |
{{comic discussion}} | {{comic discussion}} | ||
− | |||
[[Category:Tips]] | [[Category:Tips]] | ||
[[Category:Language]] | [[Category:Language]] | ||
− |