Laryngeal licensing and laryngeal neutralization in Faroese and Icelandic

Bibliographic Data

ID20377522
AuthorsGunnar Ólafur Hansson (0000-0002-7955-5572, University of Chicago, corresponding author)
Year2003
Volume26
Issue1
Pages45-79
Publication date2003-06-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueNordic Journal of Linguistics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0332-5865 • E-ISSN: 1502-4717
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0332586503001008
OpenAlexW2110118787
LanguageEN
Citations received8

In Icelandic, and in most dialects of Faroese, the fundamental laryngeal stop contrast is one of aspiration. This contrast is neutralized in certain positions, following patterns which appear problematic for perceptually-based theories (licensing by cue). In postvocalic onset position, a cue-rich environment, the contrast is absent in Icelandic. Most dialects neutralize to unaspirated [p, t, k], whereas others have postaspirated [p h , t h , k h ] instead. In the latter case, the appearance of loanwords with intervocalic [p, t, k] is now creating an incipient aspiration contrast, undoing the previous neutralization pattern. The implications of these facts for Optimality Theory (Richness of the Base) are discussed. In certain dialects of Faroese, such postvocalic singleton onsets are realized as PRE aspirated [ h p, h t, h k]. Curiously, this preaspiration is suppressed in precisely the contexts where it ought to be most salient. An OT analysis is developed to account for this distribution

Astrophysics · Icelandic · Linguistics · Physics · Salient · Undoing · History · Linguistic Variation and Morphology · Linguistics and language evolution · Mathematics · Philosophy · Phonetics and Phonology Research · Psychology

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