LL-L "Phonology" 2005.02.24 (03) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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L O W L A N D S - L * 24.FEB.2005 (03) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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A=Afrikaans Ap=Appalachian B=Brabantish D=Dutch E=English F=Frisian
L=Limburgish LS=Lowlands Saxon (Low German) N=Northumbrian
S=Scots Sh=Shetlandic V=(West) Flemish Z=Zeelandic (Zeêuws)
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From: Theo Homan <theohoman at yahoo.com>
Subject: LL-L "Phonology" 2005.02.23 (03) [E]

> From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Phonology
>
> Dear Lowlanders,
>
> I recently wrote about preaspiration:
>
> <quote>
> This is interesting phonologically [...]> point to
pre-aspiration (one of my pet phenomena,
> occurring sporadically in
> a few languages, such as Icelandic, Turkic Yughur of
> China, and Scottish
> Gaelic -- also in certain dialects of Saami
> apparently).
---------------------------------

In Saami this preaspiration is  v e r y  strong.

> Some have suggested that preaspiration entered
> Northern Germanic from Saami
> (a group of Uralic varieties) and that preaspiration
> was introduced to
> Scottish Gaelic from Old Norse.
------------------------

These suggestions were made by people who I would caracterize as
'philologiststs' without any linguistic knowledge of importance.

In some languages preaspiration can be used to emphasize that the following
consonant is long.

vr.gr.
Theo Homan

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From: Ingmar Roerdinkholder <ingmar.roerdinkholder at WORLDONLINE.NL>
Subject: LL-L "Phonology" 2005.02.23 (07) [E]

As Ron said before: in Dutch aspiration of voiceless stops is absent.
That is true for Standard Dutch pronunciation as well as for most dialects
in the Netherlands, and all in Belgium. Maybe due to French influence,
coming from the South? And would this be related to the h-absence in most
Southern (South Western) and many other Dutch dialects? In Flanders,
Zeeland, Belgium Brabant, Western Noord Brabant, "h" is obsolete.
The same goes for many Low Saxon dialects in Western Overijssel and
Southern Drenthe, and many scattered area throughout the Netherlands.

On the other hand, Northern pronunciations in (Low Saxon) Groningen and
Northern Drenthe do have this aspiration of p, t, k. Aspirated t can sound
in Dutch ears like ts, as in "Martsini-tsoorn", the local pronunciation for
the Martini-toren (Saint Martin's Tower), an important church in the city
of Groningen...
Ingmar

> R. F. Hahn about phonology:
>aspiration is a separate process; it's an
>*accompanying* puff of air of voiceless stops (/p/, /t/, /k/), as for
>instance in most English, Scandinavian and German dialects.  However, when
>aspiration comes to be "metathesized" (switching places), so to speak, it
>becomes an "h" sound (or a related sound) that precedes a stop.
>Since /w/ is not a stop and is not voiceless either, _hw_ > +_wh_ does not
>really involve aspiration.

----------

From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Phonology

Theo (above):

> In some languages preaspiration can be used to emphasize that the
following
> consonant is long.

Apparently.  Which makes particular sense in many Saami varieties that seen
to distinguish three types of consonant lengths: short, long, very long
(e.g., /...p.../, /...pp.../, /...ppp.../) where preaspiration emphasizes
very long stop consonants ([...hp:...]).

Ingmar (above):

> On the other hand, Northern pronunciations in (Low Saxon) Groningen and
> Northern Drenthe do have this aspiration of p, t, k. Aspirated t can sound
> in Dutch ears like ts, as in "Martsini-tsoorn", the local pronunciation
for
> the Martini-toren (Saint Martin's Tower), an important church in the city
> of Groningen...

This development ([t_h] > [t_s] or better [t_hs]) is not uncommon.  You find
it in quite a few English dialects of Southern England and also in many
Danish dialects (e.g., _ti_ [t_hsi'] 'ten'), also in Western Mandarin
dialects as well as in several Tibetan and Mongolic varieties.  This may
well be how Southern German developed <z> /ts/ from older /t/ (perhaps due
to Celtic substrates).

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

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