The position of the tongue in the oral cavity as an additional articulation of vowels

The paper analyzes some principles of general phonetics regulating the classification of vowel sounds in world languages. Consideration is given to typologically and genetically different languages of the peoples of Siberia. Questioned is the validity of using the concepts of row and rise as the main parameters in determining articulatory types of vowels, with deviations of both articulatory and acoustic indicators from the generally accepted standards of qualify- ing vocal components of speech being not infrequent. The analysis of a large array of auditory and experimental data has revealed the vowel opposition to be based on contrast by the type of additional articulation: softness / leveling / hardness. The tongue placement in the oral cav- ity determines the effect of softening (palatalization), hardening (velarization), or leveling of the setting. An apparent symmetry of vocal types by palatalization and velarization is found: the same number of laryngeal-rounded and laryngeal-non-rounded sounds and a clear corre- spondence of the distances from the palatine arch. A specificity is that only the sounds [e, a, o] can have additional articulation below the 4th stage, while the sixth is [a, o]. It is probably due to the physiology of the human speech apparatus and the specific sound type that is formed not only by the vocal cords but also by the external muscles attached to the lar- ynx (that is why the vowels are called laryngeal-ligamentous), being slightly rotated during specific articulations of the vowel. Of no less importance is the hyoid bone, connected with the larynx and tongue and responsible for the movement accuracy of the latter.