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

Arjeplog dialect. Their findings support Wallström’s analysis, and it
seems that the dialect has kept its preaspiration patterns intact, unlike the
Vemdalen dialect (cf. preceding section). Wretling et al. found that
preaspirations in VC sequences were far longer than preaspirations in
VC sequences. In VC sequences, durations were fairly evenly
distributed between vowel, preaspiration and occlusion. On average, the
vowel comprised 35% of the sequence, the preaspiration 34% and the
occlusion 31%. The corresponding figures for VC sequences were 30%,
13% and 58%. Thus Wallström’s impression that preaspiration was much
more prominent in VC sequences is borne out by instrumental analysis.
There is reason to believe that preaspiration and voiceless sonorants
in the Arjeplog dialect have come about through contact with the local
Saami population. According to Wallström (1943:20), there were relatively
few Swedish speakers living in Lappland until the beginning of the
19 th century. In 1799, there were 958 Saami living in the areas of Arjeplog
and Arvidsjaur, and only 247 Swedish settlers. Wallström cites
evidence (albeit somewhat anecdotal) that many or most of the Swedish
settlers seem to have been fluent in Saami at that time. Since the settlement
of Swedish speakers in the area is so recent, and since they had
such close contact with the Saami language, which had preaspiration and
voiceless sonorants, there is good reason to believe that these features
have been passed from Saami to the Arjeplog dialect.
3.5.3 The Gräsö dialect
Preaspiration in the Gräsö dialect was first noted by Manne Eriksson
in his postscript notes to Schagerström’s (1949) description of the dialect
in Gräsö (see map in Figure 3-6 in the following section). Eriksson
divides the island into two main dialectal areas, Northern and Southern,
each of which resembles the dialect directly opposite on the mainland.
This reflects the fact that in earlier times communications within the
island were more difficult than those across the strait to the mainland. 1 A
road connecting the northern and southern parts of the island was not
built until the end of the 19 th century. Eriksson also points out that there
1
Gräsö is approximately 4 km from east to west and 25 km from north to south, and is
fairly densely forested.
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