VOWELS IN STANDARD AUSTRIAN GERMAN - Acoustics ...

1. Introduction: Setting the Theoretical Framework
Language serves two main functions: a cognitive and a communicative function. The
functions of linguistic components are subordinate to these main functions (Dressler
2002: 92f). The work at issue deals with acoustic phonetics and phonology, whose
functions are subordinate to the communicative function of language 1 .
The contribution of phonology and phonetics to serving the communicative
function is not as straightforward as the contribution of the other linguistic components,
e.g. discourse. In fact, these other components serve the communicative function in the
most indirect way (Dressler 2002). This does not, of course, diminish the importance of
phonetics and phonology for the communicative function. Within the framework of
Natural Phonology, it is the role of prelexical phonological processes to “merge
conceivable sounds into the phoneme inventory of each language” and “to govern the
phonotactics of phonemes” (Dressler 1984: 30) of a given language or language
variety 2 . In line with Baudouin the Courtenay, the phoneme is defined as sound
intention. This implies that phonemes are “fully specified, because they could not be
intended otherwise” (Dressler 1984: 32). The semiotic model elaborated by Dressler
(1980, 1984, 1985) gave the basis for the distinctive function of phonemes and features
(“the signantia of a sign should be distinguishable” 1984: 35). These language-specific
fully specified and distinctive sound intentions and the language-specific phonotactics
are, of course, pronounceable and perceivable for the speakers of a given language or
1 Whether phonology serves the cognitive function as well is discussed in Dressler (2002).
2 The phoneme inventories and, consequently, their sequential orders might differ within
the varieties of one language, e.g. the phoneme inventory of Standard Austrian German
differs from the phoneme inventory of Austrian dialects (see Dressler & Wodak 1982,
Moosmüller 1987, 1991).