A Two Pronged Analysis of Linguistic Idiosyncrasies

As the title indicates, this is a two pronged analysis of idiosyncrasies in both speech and writing. The first prong will be the development of software to track mouth movements, and the second will be a study of sound usage in different languages.
Oliver Linton
Madeleine D' Houet Bilingual School
Grade 9

Presentation

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Problem

Prong 1 Problem/Objective:

After completing a brief literature review on both the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet,) and on language evolution, I was curious about potential idiosyncrasies that may have emerged in the frequency of phoneme usage in different languages. This experiment will aim to identify tendencies found in the usage frequency of individual phonemes of the IPA across different languages. The languages explored will be English, French, Hungarian, Spanish, Arabic, Romanian, Russian, Ukrainian, and Slovak. Very little research has been done on this subject matter, and I hope to supplement some of this disparity.

Prong 2 Problem/Objective:

Supported by literature review on facial anatomy, and language evolution, this experiment aims to identify idiosyncrasies in distinct articulatory patterns of facial movement across nine diverse languages: English, French, Hungarian, Spanish, Arabic, Romanian, Ukrainian, Russian, and Slovak.

*Please note that this information is not final as this project is still underway.

Method

Prong 1 Experiment Methodology:

  1. Select the specific excerpts from literature that will be analyzed.
  2. Translate the sources to IPA using an IPA transcriber (​​https://openl.io/translate/doc.)
  3. Run each of the pre-selected sources through ChatGPT to count the number of times specific base-sounds are used.
  4. Transfer these sounds into percentages to improve comprehensibility.
  5. Compare individual source data to the corresponding data from the same language.
  6. Analyse this comparison to try to seek out an idiosyncrasy from the data.

Prong 2 Experiment Methodology:

The methodology of this project will be in three phases, calibration, and recording

Calibration:

Participants perform the following movements, each held for \~2 seconds:

  1. Maximum mouth opening
  2. Lips fully closed
  3. Maximum lip protrusion (push lips forward)
  4. Maximum lip retraction (pull lips inward)
  5. Maximum smile (horizontal spread)

Video is recorded continuously.

For each selected landmark (e.g., upper lip, lower lip, left/right lip corners): From all calibration frames, compute:

  • x_min, x_max
  • y_min, y_max
  • z_min, z_max

This defines a 3D movement box for each landmark. These values are stored for later normalization.

Recording:

Participant speaks a predefined phrase found in the Prong 2-Speech Prong Document:

  • Phrase repeated 3 times
  • Each recording is held separate

(Please note that ChatGPT was used in editing, but not composing this text.) *Please note that this information is not final as this project is still underway.

Research

Prong 1 Research Data:

Source ID /p/ /b/ /t/ /d/ /k/ /g/ /tʃ/ /dʒ/ /f/ /v/ /θ/ /ð/ /s/ /z/ /ʃ/ /ʒ/ /h/ /m/ /n/ /ŋ/ /l/ /r/ /j/ /w/ /i:/ /ɪ/ /e/ /æ/ /ʌ/ /ɜ:/ /ə/ /u:/ /ʊ/ /ɔ:/ /ɒ/ /eɪ/ /aɪ/ /ɔɪ/ /aʊ/ /əʊ/ /ɪə/ /eə/ /ʊə/ /ɑ:/
El1 1.17 1.56 5.64 3.11 4.67 1.95 1.17 0.19 2.14 2.53 0.39 4.67 1.17 5.25 2.53 0 4.86 2.53 9.14 0.97 3.31 4.47 0 3.5 0.78 6.23 0 2.72 1.17 1.17 3.89 0.19 0.97 0.78 0 1.36 1.36 0 1.17 1.75 0 0 0 2.33
El2 1.55 2.79 5.57 5.26 2.17 1.86 0 1.86 3.72 1.86 0.31 6.81 4.02 4.33 0.62 0 5.88 3.72 8.98 1.86 5.57 6.19 0 2.79 1.24 8.67 0 3.1 2.17 0.93 5.26 0.62 0.93 0.93 0 3.1 1.55 0 0.62 2.48 0 0 0 2.79
El3 1.12 1.69 5.9 3.93 4.49 1.97 0 0.84 2.25 2.81 1.69 7.87 4.87 3.37 0.28 0.28 3.09 2.53 9.27 1.97 4.21 5.34 0.28 2.25 1.97 6.74 0 2.53 2.25 1.12 5.06 1.4 1.12 1.69 1.12 2.53 1.4 0.28 0.56 1.97 0 0 0 1.97
El-Average 1.28 2.01 5.7 4.1 3.78 1.93 0.39 0.96 2.7 2.4 0.8 6.45 3.32 4.32 1.14 0.09 4.61 2.93 9.31 1.6 4.36 5.33 0.09 2.85 1.33 7.21 0 2.78 1.86 1.07 4.74 0.74 1.01 1.13 0.31 2.33 1.44 0.09 0.78 2.07 0 0 0 2.36
Fr1 3.14 1.57 7.33 4.71 3.93 1.83 0 0 2.62 2.36 0 0 6.02 2.09 3.66 1.31 0 6.28 9.69 0 6.54 5.5 1.57 0.79 2.09 4.19 3.14 0 0 0 5.76 1.57 0 2.09 0 1.05 0 0 0 0.79 0 0 0 4.71
Fr2 3.98 1.17 8.2 5.15 4.45 1.87 0 0 2.81 2.58 0 0 6.79 3.28 4.22 2.11 0 7.49 9.6 0 7.96 6.32 1.64 1.17 2.34 4.92 3.51 0 0 0 6.09 1.87 0 2.11 0 1.17 0 0 0 0.94 0 0 0 4.45
Fr3 4.73 1.51 8.6 5.59 4.95 2.15 0 0 2.8 3.01 0 0 7.1 3.66 4.3 2.37 0 7.31 9.68 0 8.17 6.45 2.15 1.29 2.58 5.16 3.87 0 0 0 6.45 2.15 0 2.37 0 1.29 0 0 0 1.08 0 0 0 4.52
Fr-Average 4.15 1.42 8.04 5.15 4.44 2.02 0 0 2.74 2.65 0 0 6.64 2.99 4.03 1.63 0 7.03 9.66 0 7.56 6.09 1.79 1.08 2.34 5.08 3.51 0 0 0 6.1 2.2 0 2.19 0 2.02 0 0 0 0.97 0 0 0 4.56
Hu1 4.02 1.81 7.63 4.22 4.82 2.41 0.6 0 2.21 2.61 0 0 5.42 3.01 2.81 0.8 1.41 6.23 8.43 0 7.23 5.62 1.61 0 3.61 4.02 2.81 0 0 0 6.43 3.42 0 2.21 3.81 1 0 0 0 1.2 0 0 0 4.22
Hu2 3.52 1.56 8.01 4.3 5.27 2.15 0.78 0 2.34 2.73 0 0 5.86 3.13 2.93 0.58 1.17 6.45 9.18 0 7.42 5.66 1.76 0 3.91 4.1 2.93 0 0 0 6.45 3.52 0 1.95 3.91 0.78 0 0 0 1.37 0 0 0 4.3
Hu3 4.33 2.16 10.15 5.16 7.32 3.66 0.83 0 2.99 3.83 0 0 7.89 3.49 4.49 0.5 1.16 7.49 12.15 0 9.32 6.83 2.83 0 4.49 4.99 4.15 0 0 0 6.65 3.49 0 2.49 5.16 0.33 0 0 0 1.83 0 0 0 5.49
Hu-Average 3.89 2.1 10.07 5.1 7.15 3.5 0.82 0 2.97 3.6 0 0 7.8 3.4 4.45 0.48 1.1 7.4 12.05 0 9.25 6.75 2.8 0 4.4 4.85 4.1 0 0 0 6.6 3.45 0 2.45 5.1 0.3 0 0 0 1.8 0 0 0 5.45
Sp1 3.05 5.42 6.11 7.48 4.12 3.2 0.92 0 0.92 0 2.14 5.19 6.87 0 0 0 2.29 4.12 9.54 0.69 6.41 8.09 1.98 0 0 7.78 9.16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 14.83
Sp2 2.88 5.76 5.91 6.44 3.94 2.88 1.06 0 0.76 0 2.27 5 7.42 0 0 0 2.12 3.79 9.09 0.61 6.21 8.33 2.12 0 0 7.12 9.7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 15
Sp3 2.5 5.2 6.1 6.7 3.5 2.7 0.6 0 0.5 0 2.4 4.8 7 0 0 0 2 3.6 8.9 0.5 5.9 8.1 2 0 0 6.9 9.4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 15.2
Sp-Average 2.45 4.9 5.85 6.55 3.45 2.6 0.55 0.45 0.05 2.35 4.65 6.95 0.05 0 0 0 2.05 3.55 8.85 0.5 5.85 8.1 2.05 0 0 6.85 9.25 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 15.1
Ar1 0.1 2.5 9.8 4.3 4.9 1.1 1.4 3.2 0.6 0.3 2.8 1.9 6.7 1.8 3.6 0.7 2.2 5.4 7.6 0.1 5.5 7 0.5 1.3 12.3 1.1 1.5 0.8 0.5 0.1 2 6.1 0.4 0.7 1.2 0.3 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.1 0 0 0 15
Ar2 0.1 2.3 9.5 4.2 5 1.1 1.3 3.1 0.5 0.3 3 1.8 6.5 1.7 3.7 0.6 2.1 5.3 7.5 0.1 5.4 7.1 0.5 1.2 11.8 1 1.4 0.7 0.4 0.1 1.9 5.9 0.4 0.6 1.1 0.3 0.2 0.1 0.2 0 0 0 0 15.6
Ar3 0.1 2.1 9.7 4 4.8 1 1.2 3 0.5 0.3 3.1 1.7 6.6 1.6 3.9 0.5 2 5.2 7.6 0.1 5.3 7 0.5 1.1 12.2 0.9 1.3 0.6 0.3 0.1 2 5.7 0.4 0.5 1 0.3 0.2 0.1 0.2 0 0 0 0 16
Ar-Average 0.1 2.3 9.67 4.17 4.9 1.07 1.3 3.1 0.55 0.3 2.97 1.8 6.6 1.7 3.73 0.6 2.1 5.3 7.57 0.1 5.4 7.03 0.5 1.2 12.1 1 1.4 0.7 0.4 0.1 1.97 5.9 0.4 0.6 1.1 0.3 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.03 0 0 0 15.53
Ro1 4.3 2.1 6.2 3.7 5.7 1.9 5.5 0.5 0.8 2.8 0 0 6 2.3 5.3 0.6 1 3.5 9.1 0.5 5 6.3 2.8 1.1 3.5 2.7 3.4 0.5 2.8 0 10.8 0 1.2 1.6 1.1 1.2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6.5
Ro2 4 3 6 3.5 5.5 1.8 5.5 0.5 0.8 2.5 0 0 6 2.2 5 0.5 1 3.2 8.5 0.4 5 6 2.5 1 3.2 2.5 3 0.4 2.5 0 11 1 1 1.5 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6
Ro3 4.5 2 6.5 4 5 2 6 0.7 1 2.5 0 0 6.5 2 6 1 0.8 3 9 0.3 5 5.5 2.5 0.8 3 2.5 3.2 0.3 1.5 0 13 1 0.7 1.2 0.5 0.8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5.5
Ro-Average 4.27 2.37 6.23 3.73 5.4 1.9 5.67 0.57 0.87 2.6 0 0 6.17 2.17 5.43 0.7 0.93 3.23 8.87 0.4 5 5.93 2.6 0.97 3.23 2.57 3.2 0.4 2.27 0 11.6 0.67 0.97 1.43 0.87 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6
Ru1 2.5 1.8 6.1 4 5 2.7 1.2 0.5 2 3.6 0 0 8.7 4.5 2.9 1.6 0.2 3.1 7.5 0 3.9 5.5 2.2 0.5 4.1 2.3 0 0 0 0 6 1 0.3 0.2 0 1 0.2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.8
Ru2 2 1.3 5.8 3.5 4.9 2.4 1 0 0.5 3.2 0 0 8.1 4.1 2.5 0.7 0 3 7.2 0 3.7 5.3 2 0 4 2.1 0 0 0 0 5.8 1.1 0.3 0 0 0.8 0.2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.6
Ru3 2.3 1.5 5.4 3.2 4.7 2 1.1 0 0.4 3.5 0 0 8.3 4 2.8 0.6 0 2.9 7.5 0 3.5 5.1 2.1 0 4.1 2 0.7 0 0 0 5.9 1 0.3 0 0 0.7 0.2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.5
Ru-Average 2.67 1.53 5.77 3.57 4.87 2.37 1.1 0.17 0.97 3.43 0 0 8.37 4.2 2.73 0.97 0.07 3 7.4 0 3.7 5.3 2.1 0.17 4.07 2.13 0.23 0 0 0 5.9 1.03 0.3 0.67 0 0.83 0.2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.63
Uk1 4.5 2.7 6.2 4.9 5 2.2 0 0 1.1 4 0 0 5.8 3.4 4.7 2.1 1.2 3.5 7.8 0 6.5 4.3 5.2 1 6.9 2.4 1.9 0 0 0 3.7 2.7 0.5 1.5 0 1.8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5.1
Uk2 4.8 3 6 4.4 5.2 2 0 0 0.8 3.9 0 0 6.1 3.5 4.5 2.3 1.1 3.3 7.6 0 6.4 4.2 4.9 1.1 7 2.3 1.8 0 0 0 3.5 2.6 0.5 1.6 0 1.7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5.2
Uk3 3.8 2.6 5.7 3.9 4.6 1.7 0 0 0.3 3.4 0 0 6.3 3.1 4.9 2 0.8 3.1 8 0 6.8 4.3 4.6 1 6.8 2.5 1.6 0 0 0 3.4 2.3 0.5 1.4 0 1.5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5
Uk-Average 4.37 2.77 5.97 4.4 4.93 1.97 0 0 0.73 3.77 0 0 6.07 3.33 4.7 2.13 1.03 3.3 7.8 0 6.57 4.23 4.9 1.03 6.9 2.4 1.77 0 0 0 3.53 2.53 0.5 1.5 0 1.67 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5.1
Sl1 6.97 2.99 8.71 5.47 6.47 1.99 1.74 0 0.75 6.22 0 0 8.21 3.98 2.99 0.99 0.5 4.23 7.21 0 4.73 5.22 3.48 0.75 1.24 1.49 3.73 0 0.5 0 4.48 0.99 0.25 0.5 0 0.25 0.75 0 0.5 0.25 0 0 0 1.49
Sl2 3.2 1.6 8.7 4.5 5.9 1.3 2.1 0.2 0.5 6.4 0 0 6.8 3.7 2.4 0.5 1.1 3 7.6 0 4.9 5.2 3.4 1 3.9 2.2 5.5 0 0 0 6 2.5 0.3 0.6 0 1.1 1 0 0.4 0.2 0 0 0 0.7
Sl3 3.6 1.8 7.9 5.1 5.5 1.5 2.4 0.2 0.4 6.1 0 0 7 3.5 2 0.6 1 3.2 8 0 5 5.3 3.2 0.9 4.1 2.1 5.2 0 0 0 5.8 2.3 0.4 0.6 0 1 1.1 0 0.3 0.2 0 0 0 0.7
Sl-Average 4.59 2.13 8.44 5.02 5.96 1.6 2.08 0.13 0.55 6.24 0 0 7.34 3.73 2.46 0.7 0.87 3.48 7.6 0 4.88 5.24 3.36 0.88 3.08 1.93 4.81 0 0.17 0 5.43 1.93 0.32 0.57 0 0.78 0.95 0 0.4 0.22 0 0 0 0.96

*In this section, I have only presented Prong 1. The Prong 2 data will be presented in addition to the Prong 1 data at CYSF. *Please note that this information is not final as this project is still underway.

Data

Prong 1 Data:

English Phoneme Distribution:

French Phoneme Distribution:

Hungarian Phoneme Distribution:

Spanish Phoneme Distribution:

Arabic Phoneme Distribution:

Romanian Phoneme Distribution:

Russian Phoneme Distribution:

Ukrainian Phoneme Distribution:

Slovak Phoneme Distribution:

*In this section, I have only presented Prong 1. The Prong 2 data will be presented in addition to the Prong 1 data at CYSF. *Please note that this information is not final as this project is still underway.

Conclusion

Prong 1 Conclusion:

Through a comparative analysis of the 44 standard English phonemes across English, French, Hungarian, Spanish, Arabic, Romanian, Russian, Ukrainian, and Slovak literary texts, this study supports the alternate hypothesis that systematic idiosyncrasies in phoneme usage exist. Minimal variation was observed among individual sources within the same language, whereas consistent and measurable differences emerged between languages. These results indicate that phonemic usage patterns are more strongly determined by the structural properties of a language than by the stylistic preferences of individual authors. (Please note that ChatGPT was used in editing, but not composing this text.)

*In this section, I have only presented Prong 1. The Prong 2 data will be presented in addition to the Prong 1 data at CYSF. *Please note that this information is not final as this project is still underway.

Citations

Literature Review Citations:

Language Evolution:

Balogh, P. (2021, January). The concept of the Carpathian Basin: its evolution, counternarratives, and geopolitical implications Author links open overlay panel. Science Direct. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305748820301237#:\~:text=Highlights,was%20not%20a%20sovereign%20state.

Blanco, C. (2025, April 17). A Brief History of the English Language. Duolingo Blog. Retrieved January 1, 2026, from https://blog.duolingo.com/history-of-english-language/

Dictionary, Census of Population, 2021 - Figure 2.4B Afro-Asiatic languages. (2022, August 17). Statistics Canada: Canada's national statistical agency / Statistique Canada : Organisme statistique national du Canada. Retrieved February 14, 2026, from https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/ref/dict/fig/index-eng.cfm?ID=F2_4B

Evolution of Language. (n.d.). National Geographic Education. Retrieved October 21, 2025, from https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/resource-library-evolution-language/

Germanic peoples | Migration\, Culture & History. (2025\, November 21). Britannica. Retrieved January 1\, 2026\, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Germanic-peoples

Harms\, T. (2025\, November 19). Uralic languages | Finno-Ugric\, Samoyedic\, & Permic Groups. Britannica. Retrieved December 23\, 2025\, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Uralic-languages

Jasanoff\, J. H. (2025\, November 20). Indo-European languages | Family\, Map\, Characteristics\, & Chart. Britannica. Retrieved January 1\, 2026\, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Indo-European-languages

Munteanu, O. (2024, July 20). The Distinctive Path of Hungarian Language Development. PoliLingua Translation Agency. Retrieved January 1, 2026, from https://www.polilingua.com/blog/post/origin-of-hungarian-language-Its-similarity-other-languages.htm

Padilla-Iglesias, C., Gjesfjeld, E., & Vinicius, L. (2020, December 1). Geographical and social isolation drive the evolution of Austronesian languages. PLOS One. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0243171#sec002

r/UsefulCharts. (2023). Evolution and Classification of European Languages. Reddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/UsefulCharts/comments/1bml10e/evolution_and_classification_of_european_languages/

Ted-Ed. (2014, May 27). How languages evolve - Alex Gendler. YouTube. Retrieved October 21, 2025, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWDKsHm6gTA&t=7s

Young\, H. (2015\, January 23). A language family tree - in pictures | Languages. The Guardian. Retrieved October 21\, 2025\, from https://www.theguardian.com/education/gallery/2015/jan/23/a-language-family-tree-in-pictures

Speech Anatomy:

Arnold\, E. (n.d.). Speech | Language\, Voice Production\, Anatomy\, & Physiology. Britannica. Retrieved October 21\, 2025\, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/speech-language

How Does the Human Body Produce Voice and Speech?: Text Version. (2023, March 13). NIDCD. Retrieved October 21, 2025, from https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/news/multimedia/how-does-human-body-produce-voice-and-speech-text-version

Organs and Structures of the Respiratory System – Pathology. (n.d.). British Columbia/Yukon Open Authoring Platform. Retrieved February 14, 2026, from https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/dcbiol2200/chapter/organs-and-structures-of-the-respiratory-system/

Perkell, J. (2025, November 2). Motor Control of Speech: Control Variables and Mechanisms. https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/hst-722j-brain-mechanisms-for-hearing-and-speech-fall-2005/170ec54f67d650df07afc52712cfc75d_6_mot_con_sp_per.pdf

International Phonetic Language:

Full IPA Chart. (n.d.). International Phonetic Association. Retrieved October 21, 2025, from https://www.internationalphoneticassociation.org/content/full-ipa-chart

IPA Chart with Sounds. (n.d.). International Phonetic Alphabet. Retrieved October 21, 2025, from https://www.internationalphoneticalphabet.org/ipa-sounds/ipa-chart-with-sounds/

IPA Pronunciation Guide. (n.d.). Vocabulary.com. Retrieved October 21, 2025, from https://www.vocabulary.com/resources/ipa-pronunciation/

*ChatGPT was used in the expeirments to quickly analyze sources, to help in editing of text, and to help code software.

Acknowledgement

To start, I would like to thank Mme Girard. She has been a constant inspiration to not only myself, but all students at Madeleine d'Houet. I would also like to thank my parents for making this possible, and all those who have supported me on my way.