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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epresentation is [h], but is more commonly produced as<br />
[h].<br />
The results summarised <strong>in</strong> Table 4–14 <strong>in</strong>dicate that fortis stops have<br />
longer postaspirations than do lenis stops, at least <strong>in</strong> VC syllables. For<br />
fortis stops <strong>the</strong> mean duration of postaspiration <strong>in</strong> VC syllables is 32 ms,<br />
compared to 22 ms for lenis stops. A t-test <strong>in</strong>dicates that this difference is<br />
significant at p < 0.001.<br />
Also, we can <strong>in</strong>fer from Table 4–14 that <strong>the</strong> overall duration of VC<br />
syllables is similar for lenis <strong>and</strong> fortis stops. Thus, seem<strong>in</strong>gly, <strong>the</strong><br />
presence of preaspiration cuts equally <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> duration of <strong>the</strong> preced<strong>in</strong>g<br />
vowel <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> follow<strong>in</strong>g closure. That overall preaspiration duration is<br />
very short <strong>in</strong> VC fortis syllables (matur type words) can be attributed to<br />
<strong>the</strong> fact that not all subjects preaspirate <strong>in</strong> such syllables. S<strong>in</strong>ce data for<br />
all subjects have been pooled, this bipolar distribution is obscured. The<br />
mean duration of <strong>the</strong> overall syllable <strong>in</strong> hatta type words is much lower<br />
than for o<strong>the</strong>r syllables. However, it is primarily <strong>the</strong> preaspiration, <strong>and</strong><br />
partly <strong>the</strong> closure, that are shortened while <strong>the</strong> vowel seems to be as long<br />
as for o<strong>the</strong>r VC syllables.<br />
One may also note that <strong>the</strong> closure duration for both VC <strong>and</strong> VC<br />
syllables is similar. Thus it seems that <strong>the</strong> quantity dist<strong>in</strong>ction (VC vs.<br />
VC) <strong>in</strong> Faroese vowel + stop sequences is signalled more through differences<br />
<strong>in</strong> vowel duration than differences <strong>in</strong> stop duration.<br />
4.3.3 Phonetic variation <strong>in</strong> Faroese preaspiration<br />
<strong>Preaspiration</strong>s <strong>in</strong> Faroese vary <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> type of friction with which <strong>the</strong>y<br />
are produced. There seem to be ma<strong>in</strong>ly three factors that contribute to<br />
this variation. First, <strong>the</strong> spectral characteristics of preaspiration proper<br />
(i.e., glottal friction) are dependent on those of <strong>the</strong> preced<strong>in</strong>g vowel.<br />
When follow<strong>in</strong>g an [a], <strong>the</strong> follow<strong>in</strong>g preaspiration will assume spectral<br />
characteristics similar to those of [a], <strong>and</strong> when follow<strong>in</strong>g [], it will be<br />
similar to []. In this respect, <strong>the</strong>n, preaspiration behaves like any o<strong>the</strong>r<br />
h-sound.<br />
Second, oral friction orig<strong>in</strong>at<strong>in</strong>g at <strong>the</strong> place of articulation of <strong>the</strong><br />
stop is often produced just before <strong>the</strong> stop closure is reached. In most<br />
cases, this friction is short <strong>and</strong> can be seen as a by-product of <strong>the</strong> stop<br />
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