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