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

stops if the preceding word ends in a vowel or a sonorant. Thus the pattern
described for O’odam and Goajiro earlier is repeated here.
p t k s
(b)
p h t k s
Figure 2–4(a–b). Illustration of preaspiration in Halh Mongolian. Figure (a)
contains the sequence /pii ata gis/ ‘I said demon’ without preaspiration, and
Figure (b) the sequence /pii ata gis/ ‘I said camel-gelding’ with preaspiration.
The data (courtesy of Svantesson & Karlsson) are recorded on location in
Ulaanbaatar. Note that the noise during the [t]-closure in Figure (a) is caused
by an echo of the preceding vowel.
The Ulaanbaatar Halh stop contrast is illustrated in Figure 2–4 (data
courtesy of Svantesson & Karlsson). Two sentences are produced, one
with a “weak” stop, /pii ata gis/ ‘I said demon (I demon-RFL said)’ in
2–4(a), and one with a “strong” stop, /pii ata gis/ ‘I said camelgelding
(I camel-gelding-RFL said)’ in 2–4(b). The sentences are spoken
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(a)