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

produced by ES is quite different from that of the unscripted speech data,
comparisons should be made with caution. Nonetheless, a speaking rate
of 4.97 syllables per second is consistent with the author’s impression
that ES’s reading was casual and moderately fast. Further methodological
information was provided in section 4.1 above.
4.5.3.2 Phonological distribution
On the whole, the data suggest that all ON fortis stops, word-initial
and word-medial, in consonant clusters and in vocalic contexts, are
reflected as postaspirated in the Western Åland dialect. This is in contrast
with the Northern Icelandic dialect, in which the distribution of
postaspirated variants is much more limited.
In the Western Åland dialect, like in Northern Icelandic, ON wordmedial
p, t, k are postaspirated, as in [bo] ‘the boat’ and [bk] ‘to
bake.’ Similarly, sequences of ON l, m, n + p, t, k are reflected as a sequence
of a voiced sonorant followed by postaspirated stop, e.g. [s]
‘salted,’ [mp] ‘the rope’s end’ and [pk] ‘planks.’ Interestingly,
ON r + p, t, k is reflected with a postaspirated stop, as in [b]
‘away, gone’ and [m] ‘marks,’ the latter with palatal frication.
Such sequences have a voiceless r-sound in Northern Icelandic.
The ON geminates are also postaspirated in the Western Åland
dialect, e.g. [p], ‘to dip,’ [v] ‘water,’ and [sp] ‘the fat.’
Given that Oftedal’s claim regarding such stops in the Bjerkreim-Dalane
dialect is correct, the Western Åland and the Bjerkreim-Dalane dialects
reflect the ON geminate fortes in a similar fashion. The Northern
Icelandic dialect, however, reflects such sequences as preaspirated.
Clusters with a fortis stop as the first element, i.e. p(p), t(t), k(k) +
l, n, r seem to be reflected as sequences of voiceless stop and partially
voiceless sonorant (i.e., as postaspirated) with the caveat that not all possible
clusters are represented in the data. As examples we have [vkl]
‘turn, fold,’ [p], ‘to open’ and [bt] ‘better.’ This is unlike the
Northern Icelandic dialect, in which p(p), t(t), k(k) + l, n sequences are
preaspirated.
The lenis stops in the Western Åland dialect are predominantly
voiced, at least in voiced contexts. This applies to word-initial as well as
word-medial lenes, and both singletons and geminates. Utterance-initial
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