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Preaspiration in the Nordic Languages: Synchronic and Diachronic ...

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Table 3–11. The f<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>gs of van Dommelen (1999) for mean durations (<strong>in</strong> ms)<br />

of vowel, breath<strong>in</strong>ess, preaspiration <strong>and</strong> occlusion <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Norwegian word lake.<br />

The -symbol <strong>in</strong>dicates <strong>the</strong> period of breathy aspiration observed, while h<br />

<strong>in</strong>dicates voiceless aspiration. St<strong>and</strong>ard deviations are given <strong>in</strong> paren<strong>the</strong>ses.<br />

Vowel h Closure<br />

Group I (n =25) 177 (30) 22 (10) 58 (28) 126 (19)<br />

Group II (n = 95) 163 (30) 23 (13) 25 (10) 117 (27)<br />

The speakers <strong>in</strong> Group I (from areas def<strong>in</strong>ed by van Dommelen as<br />

be<strong>in</strong>g “traditionally regarded to have preaspiration”) have, on average,<br />

more than 30 ms longer preaspirations than <strong>the</strong> Group II speakers. The<br />

duration of <strong>the</strong> breathy portion is similar for both Groups. Thus preaspiration<br />

as measured from <strong>the</strong> onset of breath<strong>in</strong>ess to stop closure is 80 ms<br />

on average for Group I <strong>and</strong> 48 ms for Group II. Van Dommelen stresses<br />

that <strong>the</strong>re is much <strong>in</strong>dividual variation <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> data. Thus, <strong>the</strong> average<br />

duration of <strong>the</strong> breathy portion ranges from 10–59 ms for <strong>the</strong> 24 speakers.<br />

Similarly, <strong>the</strong> average duration of preaspiration proper ranges from<br />

13–87 ms.<br />

The results obta<strong>in</strong>ed by van Dommelen are very much <strong>in</strong> tune with<br />

<strong>the</strong> results of Wretl<strong>in</strong>g et al. on Nor<strong>the</strong>rn Swedish dialects. Wretl<strong>in</strong>g et<br />

al. also <strong>in</strong>cluded speakers from dialects that had earlier been described as<br />

hav<strong>in</strong>g preaspirated stops <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong>se speakers have much longer preaspirations<br />

(on average) than do <strong>the</strong> rema<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g speakers. In terms of absolute<br />

preaspiration duration, however, comparisons between <strong>the</strong> results of van<br />

Dommelen <strong>and</strong> Wretl<strong>in</strong>g et al. are difficult to make s<strong>in</strong>ce Wretl<strong>in</strong>g et al.<br />

only present proportional durations.<br />

Compar<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> results of van Dommelen <strong>and</strong> Tronnier we f<strong>in</strong>d that<br />

<strong>the</strong> absolute duration of preaspiration is somewhat longer for Group II <strong>in</strong><br />

van Dommelen’s study (48 ms) than for <strong>the</strong> subjects of Tronnier’s study<br />

(40 ms). Here, one should note three differences between <strong>the</strong> studies,<br />

which make direct comparisons of <strong>the</strong>se figures more difficult. First, <strong>the</strong><br />

subjects <strong>in</strong> Tronnier’s study have a more varied dialectal background<br />

than those <strong>in</strong> Group II <strong>in</strong> van Dommelen’s study. Second, <strong>in</strong> Tronnier’s<br />

study, only those <strong>in</strong>stances with some degree of preaspiration are <strong>in</strong>cluded<br />

<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> calculation of preaspiration duration. And third, Tronnier<br />

– 93 –

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