Formant analyses for characterizing Hungarian vowels from the beginnings to the present – Data and lessons

Abstract

The formant values of Hungarian vowels have been the subject of study since the early 1940s. Analyses conducted over the past 80 years reflect changes in research objectives, questions, and methodology. In this study, we aim to provide an overview of the literature from a historical perspective. Another aim of our review is to examine whether the formant data in the literature are suitable for making statements about the phonetic characteristics of vowels in relation to the given language state and language variant on the basis of their secondary analysis (metaanalysis), and whether datasets from diverse sources can be meaningfully integrated to test hypotheses concerning linguistic change. We also briefly discuss whether conclusions about articulation characteristics can be drawn based on acoustic data.