ABSTRACT The ultimate goal of the project is to investigate the relationship between phonology and phonetics for the feature Voice and other laryngeal features, through a detailed phonological and phonetic study of several languages. The purpose of the planning grant is two-fold. It will support background work on the phonetics and phonology of voicing, increased familiarity with the literature, exploration of possible phonetic methodologies, and consultation with expert researchers. The second aspect of the plan is to conduct preliminary research on three topics concerning different aspects of voicing and related features. These include a study of sonorant voicing and devoicing in English, a cross-linguistic study of the status of "voiceless" nasals, and fieldwork and phonetic investigation of Madurese, an Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia. The completion of these planning activities and preliminary studies will enable the Principal Investigator to address broader questions related to phonetic and phonological issues of voicing with the purpose of developing a more comprehensive research proposal on the subject.
