58: A Fun-Filled Fricative Field Trip

Lingthusiasm Episode 58: A Fun-Filled Fricative Field Trip

What  do the sounds fffff, vvvv, ssss, and zzzz all have in common? They're  all produced by creating a sort of friction in your mouth when you  constrict two parts against each other, whether that's your lips, your  teeth, your tongue, the roof of your mouth, or in your throat. This  whole class of sounds that are produced using friction are known as  fricatives!

In this episode, your hosts Gretchen McCulloch  and Lauren Gawne get enthusiastic about fricatives! We take you on a  tour from the front of your mouth to the back (sadly, you’ll have to  imagine the tiny cartoon schoolbus for yourself), and tell some of our  favourite fricative-related stories along the way, including how the  printing press is responsible for Ye Olde Teashoppe signs, the Extremely  Welsh clothing chain LL Bean, and Gretchen’s erstwhile student days  playing IPA Scrabble.

If you have fricative stories of your own to add, feel free to talk about them in the Lingthusiasm Discord, or tag us in them on social media @lingthusiasm and we might share them!

Announcements:

We  have new merch! Have you always wanted to recreate the classic  psycholinguistics  experiment of cross-modal perception wherever you go?  With our bold coloured kiki/bouba merch you can!

Kiki Bouba
If  I give you a rounded, lumpy shape and a sharp, spiky one, and tell you  that one is called kiki and the other bouba, which name would you attach  to which shape? It turns out that people's responses are surprisingly  consistent! This classic experiment in cross-modal perception featured  in Lingthusiasm episode 21: What words sound spiky across languages?, has become a favourite subject of linguistics memes, and is now available as Lingthusiasm merch!

You can now ask random people at a conference, in class, or at work which one is bouba and which is kiki, in black, red, green, yellow, pale blue, pink, or white. (We've also released the bouba/kiki images under a CC-BY license, should you wish to use it in linguistics experiments of your own.)

What the fricative
You  know how some pieces of technical terminology just really sound like  they moonlight as minor swear words? "What the fricative" totally looks  like something you exclaim when you stub your toe, and yet it actually  just refers to the entirely innocuous class of sound that is produced by  creating friction with the stream of air as it comes out of your mouth,  such as /s/, /z/, /v/, and yes, /f/ itself.

Whether you're  having a fricative hard day or you're just fricative surprised, now you  can confuse people by not actually swearing and secretly give yourself  an excuse to chat linguistics with them, thanks to our What the  Fricative items in black or white text! Check out our cheeky ‘What The Fricative’ merch for all your almost-sweary needs!

Updates to current merch
We’ve also updated our IPA range to include some great new products, like this snazzy backpack, this cosy bath mat, and this fitted 3-layer facemask. Lingthusiasm the podcast transforms your boring commute or chores into a lively, nerdy conversation, and we also help you wear your linguistics fandom on your sleeve, on your feet, and surrounding your notes!

As ever, we love seeing photos of any Lingthusiasm merch in your lives! Tag us in them @lingthusiasm on social media!

For the links mentioned in this episode go to: https://lingthusiasm.com/post/656826674919440384/lingthusiasm-episode-58-a-fun-filled-fricative