F1/F2 targets for Finnish single vs. double vowels

Abstract

This paper explores the reason why Finnish single (short) vowels tend to occupy less peripheral positions in the F1/F2 vowel space compared to their double (long) counterparts. The results of two production studies suggest that the less extreme vowel quality of single vowels is best described as arising from undershoot of articulatory/acoustic targets due to their short durations, assuming single, context-free targets for phonemes.