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

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approximately 140–150 ms <strong>in</strong> VC syllables, <strong>and</strong> approximately 80–90<br />

ms <strong>in</strong> VCV syllables. For both contexts, <strong>the</strong> Harris speaker had less than<br />

10 ms of voic<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>itial part of <strong>the</strong> stop closure, <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> North Uist<br />

speaker had 15–20 ms of voic<strong>in</strong>g. For <strong>the</strong> Lewis speaker, <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>itial 25<br />

ms of <strong>the</strong> stop closure were voiced <strong>in</strong> VC syllables, which means that<br />

<strong>the</strong>re is voic<strong>in</strong>g dur<strong>in</strong>g less than 20% of <strong>the</strong> closure. In VCV syllables,<br />

<strong>the</strong> Lewis speaker had approximately 35 ms of voic<strong>in</strong>g, <strong>and</strong> s<strong>in</strong>ce <strong>the</strong><br />

closure duration was much shorter <strong>in</strong> this context, this means that<br />

approximately 40% of <strong>the</strong> stop closure is voiced.<br />

Accord<strong>in</strong>g to Oftedal (1956:99), sonorants can be voiceless before<br />

Old Norse 1 <strong>and</strong> Common Gaelic p, t, k (see also Ó Baoill 1980 <strong>and</strong><br />

Gillies 1993). However, <strong>in</strong>formation on <strong>the</strong>ir geographical distribution<br />

<strong>and</strong> phonetic realisation is scarce. Some <strong>in</strong>formation on <strong>the</strong> phonological<br />

distribution of voiceless sonorants <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Leurbost dialect is provided by<br />

Oftedal. It is clear from his description that all laterals (dental, alveolar<br />

<strong>and</strong> palatal) are voiceless throughout before fortis stops. As for nasals,<br />

Oftedal reports that <strong>the</strong> facts are more complex. A dist<strong>in</strong>ction between<br />

voiced <strong>and</strong> voiceless sonorants is not clear-cut <strong>in</strong> all cases, s<strong>in</strong>ce even<br />

before lenis stops <strong>the</strong> nasals seem to become partially devoiced (ibid:99,<br />

138f). However, Oftedal emphasizes that labial, dental <strong>and</strong> velar nasals<br />

can occur as completely voiceless before stops. R-sounds also occur as<br />

voiceless before stops, seem<strong>in</strong>gly as [] before /p/ <strong>and</strong> /k/, <strong>and</strong> as a retroflex<br />

sibilant [] before /t/ (Oftedal 1956:137, Gillies 1993:163).<br />

3.8.2 Irish<br />

Ní Chasaide & Ó Dochartaigh (1984) <strong>in</strong>vestigated <strong>the</strong> speech of a<br />

s<strong>in</strong>gle speaker of Irish. This speaker comes from <strong>the</strong> town of Gaoth<br />

Dobhair (see map, Figure 3-7), but <strong>in</strong>formation about age <strong>and</strong> sex is not<br />

provided, nor is <strong>the</strong>re <strong>in</strong>formation about <strong>the</strong> number or nature of test<br />

words. Measurements for VC <strong>and</strong> VCV syllables are reported, seem<strong>in</strong>gly<br />

reflect<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> read<strong>in</strong>g of a list of monosyllabic <strong>and</strong> disyllabic<br />

words. As for <strong>the</strong> method of measurement, both <strong>the</strong> breathy portion <strong>and</strong><br />

<strong>the</strong> voiceless portion are <strong>in</strong>cluded <strong>and</strong> reported.<br />

1 Because of <strong>the</strong> numerous Old Norse loan-words <strong>in</strong> Common Gaelic, Oftedal <strong>in</strong>cludes<br />

<strong>the</strong> Old Norse stops <strong>in</strong> his account of Gaelic stop development.<br />

– 98 –

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