According to my Signal and Systems textbook, the frequency spectra of vowels are somewhat similar to those of periodic waves. Musical instruments produce these kind of waves, composed by harmonics that are entire multiples of certain fundamental frequency. On the contrary consonants are completely aperiodic and thus unmusical. Hence the conclusion one can extract from this physical curiosity about the Human phonologic system is that languages with high vowel-consonant ratio (Italian, Japanese) are more "musical" than those with low vowel-consant ratio (Slavic languages). What do you think? What are the most musical languages according to you?
Musicality in languages and vowel-consonant ratio
<<On the contrary consonants are completely aperiodic and thus unmusical. Hence the conclusion one can extract from this physical curiosity about the Human phonologic system is that languages with high vowel-consonant ratio>>
How exactly did you "extract" that conclusion? Why do you assume that vowels in themselves are "musical" and that consonants are "not musical"? Just because the frequency is periodic? What if I vomit periodically, does that make vomit musical?
How exactly did you "extract" that conclusion? Why do you assume that vowels in themselves are "musical" and that consonants are "not musical"? Just because the frequency is periodic? What if I vomit periodically, does that make vomit musical?
I don't assume vowels are more musical than consonants. It's what my textbook says, it explains this phenomenon this way: musical instruments' sounds have certain kind of frequency spectra and those of vowels are in some way similar to these whereas frequency spectra of consonants are completely different in nature and that is the reason why consonants are not musical. You can learn more about spectrum analysis here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frequency_spectrum
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frequency_spectrum
are more "musical" than those with low vowel-consant ratio (Slavic languages).
--*--/-*/-*/*/-*/-*-//--*-/././././././././././.2/././././././././-/-/-/-/
Macedonian has high vowel-consonant ratio (in IPA).
Continental Portuguese has low vowel-consonant ratio (in IPA).
The ratio should be obtained using IPA, and not written texts.
Let's take a look at the word excelente, in the written text
it's 4:4 (vowel:consonant, en being counted as a nasal vowel);
in speech most Portuguese people pronounce it as xlent (one syllable word),
so the ratio is 1:3 (vowel: consonant).
--*--/-*/-*/*/-*/-*-//--*-/././././././././././.2/././././././././-/-/-/-/
Macedonian has high vowel-consonant ratio (in IPA).
Continental Portuguese has low vowel-consonant ratio (in IPA).
The ratio should be obtained using IPA, and not written texts.
Let's take a look at the word excelente, in the written text
it's 4:4 (vowel:consonant, en being counted as a nasal vowel);
in speech most Portuguese people pronounce it as xlent (one syllable word),
so the ratio is 1:3 (vowel: consonant).