Preaspiration

In phonetics, preaspiration (sometimes spelled pre-aspiration)^[1] is a period of voicelessness or aspiration preceding the closure of a voiceless obstruent,^[2] basically an [h]-like sound preceding the obstruent. In other words, when an obstruent is preaspirated, voicing stops and the glottis is opened for some time before the obstruent closure.^[3] To mark preaspiration using the International Phonetic Alphabet, the diacritic for regular aspiration, ⟨ʰ⟩, can be placed before the preaspirated consonant. However, Ladefoged & Maddieson (1996:70) prefer to use a simple cluster notation, e.g. ⟨hk⟩ instead of ⟨ʰk⟩.

Preaspiration is comparatively uncommon across languages of the world,^[4] and is claimed by some to not be phonemically contrastive in any language.^[5] Ladefoged & Maddieson (1996) note that, at least in the case of Icelandic, preaspirated stops have a longer duration of aspiration than normally aspirated (post-aspirated) stops, comparable to clusters of [h]+consonant in languages with such clusters. As a result, they view preaspiration as purely a distributional feature, indistinguishable phonetically and phonologically from clusters with /h/, and prefer to notate preaspirated stops as clusters, e.g. Icelandic kappi /ˈkʰahpi/ "hero" rather than /ˈkʰaʰpi/.

A distinction is often made between so-called normative and non-normative preaspiration: in a language with normative preaspiration of certain voiceless obstruents, the preaspiration is obligatory even though it is not a distinctive feature; in a language with non-normative preaspiration, the preaspiration can be phonetically structured for those who use it, but it is non-obligatory, and may not appear with all speakers.^[6][7] Preaspirated consonants are typically in free variation with spirant-stop clusters, though they may also have a relationship (synchronically and diachronically) with long vowels or [s]-stop clusters.^[8]

Preaspiration can take a number of different forms; while the most usual is glottal friction (an [h]-like sound), the precise phonetic quality can be affected by the obstruent or the preceding vowel, becoming for example [ç] after close vowels;^[9] other potential realizations include [x],^[8] voiceless vowels, and even [f].^[10]

Preaspiration is very unstable both synchronically and diachronically and is often replaced by a fricative or by a lengthening of the preceding vowel.^[11]

Preaspiration is perhaps best known from North Germanic languages, most prominently in Icelandic and Faroese, but also some dialects of Norwegian and Swedish. It is also a prominent feature of Scottish Gaelic. The presence of preaspiration in Gaelic has been attributed to North Germanic influence.^[12] Within Northwestern Europe preaspiration is furthermore found in most Sami languages, except Inari Sami where it has been replaced by postaspiration.^[13] The historical relationship between preaspiration in Sami and North Germanic is disputed: there is general agreement of a connection, but not on whether it represents Sami influence in North Germanic,^[14][15] North Germanic influence in Sami,^[16] or parallel sprachbund influence in both languages.^[17]

Elsewhere in the world, preaspiration occurs in Halh Mongolian, Western Yugur, and in several American indigenous languages, including dialects of Hopi,^{[18][19][20][21]} Purepecha, and many languages of the Algonquian family (such as Cheyenne, Cree, Ojibwe, Fox, and Miami–Illinois).

In certain accents, such as Geordie (among younger women) Watt & Allen (2003:268) and in some speakers of Dublin English^[22] word- and utterance-final /p, t, k/ can be preaspirated.

Some examples of preaspirated plosives and affricates from Faroese (where they occur only after stressed vowels):

• klappa [ˈkʰlaʰpːa], 'clap'
• hattur [ˈhaʰtːʊɹ], 'hat'
• takka [ˈtʰaʰkːa], 'thank'
• søkkja [ˈsœʰt͡ʃːa], 'sink' (transitive)

Furthermore, the dialects of Vágar, northern Streymoy and Eysturoy also have ungeminated preaspirated plosives and affricates (except after close vowels/diphthongs):

• apa [ˈɛaːʰpa], 'ape', but: vípa [ˈvʊiːpa], 'northern lapwing'
• eta [ˈeːʰta], 'eat', but: hiti [ˈhiːtɪ], 'heat'
• vøka [ˈvøːʰka], 'wake', but: húka [ˈhʉuːka], to 'squat'
• høkja [ˈhøːʰt͡ʃa], 'crutch', but: vitja [ˈviːt͡ʃa], to 'visit'

Some examples of preaspirated plosives from Icelandic:^[23]

• kappi [ˈkʰahpɪ], 'hero'
• hattur [ˈhaʰtʏr̥], 'hat'
• þakka [ˈθaʰka] ^ⓘ, 'thank'
• hætta [ˈhaiʰta], 'stop/quit'

In Huautla Mazatec, preaspirates can occur word-initially, perhaps uniquely among languages which contain preaspirates:^[24]

• [ʰti] - 'fish'
• [ʰtse] - 'a sore'
• [ʰtʃi] - 'small'
• [ʰka] - 'stubble'

Preaspiration in the Sami languages occurs on word-medial voiceless stops and affricates of all places of articulation available: /p/, /t̪/, /t͡s/, /t͡ɕ/, /k/. In the Western Sami languages (Southern, Ume, Pite, Lule and Northern) as well as Skolt Sami, preaspiration affects both long and half-long consonants; in most Eastern Sami languages (Akkala, Kildin and Ter) only fully long consonants are preaspirated. This likely represents two waves of innovation: an early preaspiration of long consonants dating back to Proto-Sami, followed by a secondary preaspiration of half-long consonants that originated in the Western Sami area and spread eastwards to Skolt Sami.^[25]

In several Sami languages, preaspirated stops/affricates contrast with lax voiceless stops, either due to denasalization of earlier clusters (e.g. *nt > [d̥ː]) or in connection to consonant gradation.

In Scottish Gaelic, however, due to the historical loss of voiced stops preaspiration is phonemic in medial and final positions after stressed vowels.^[26]

Its strength varies from area to area and can manifest itself as [ʰ] or [h] or in areas with strong preaspiration as [ç] or [x]. The occurrence of preaspiration follows a hierarchy of c > t > p; i.e. if a dialect has preaspiration with p, it will also have it in the other places of articulation. Preaspiration manifests itself as follows:^[27]

• Area 1 as [xk xt xp] and [çkʲ çtʲ çp]
• Area 2 as [xk xt hp] and [çkʲ çtʲ hp]
• Area 3 as [xk ht hp] and [çkʲ htʲ hp]
• Area 4 as [ʰk ʰt ʰp]
• Area 5 as [xk] and [çkʲ] (no preaspiration of t and p)
• Area 6 no preaspiration

There are numerous minimal pairs:

• glag [kl̪ˠak] "clock" vs glac [kl̪ˠaxk] "grab" (v.)
• ad [at̪] "hat" vs at [aʰt̪] "boil" (n.)
• leag [ʎɛk] "throw down" vs leac [ʎɛxk] "flagstone"
• aba [ˈapə] "abbot" vs apa [ˈaʰpə] "ape" (n.)

Although distinguishing preaspirated consonants from clusters of /h/ and a voiceless consonant can be difficult, the reverse does not hold: there are numerous languages such as Arabic or Finnish where such clusters are unanimously considered to constitute consonant clusters.^{[citation needed]}

• Aspiration
• Prevoicing
• Index of phonetics articles
• Phonation

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