Word-initial voiceless stop geminates in Kelantan Malay: Acoustic evidence from amplitude/F0 ratios

The present study explores non-durational correlates of the word-initial voiceless stop singleton/geminate contrast in Kelantan Malay (KM) by focusing on the relative values of amplitude and F0 across two syllables of disyllabic words. We are particularly interested in identifying any inter-syllabic differences that could potentially enhance the acoustic salience of voiceless stop geminates in utterance-initial position, given the lack of acoustic closure duration in this specific context. Results indicate that relative amplitude and relative F0 across syllables do contribute to the differentiation of word-initial voiceless stop singletons and geminates in KM, with amplitude and F0 ratios being usually significantly higher in the geminate context. The effect is further enhanced for utterance-initial tokens and it is also consistent across places of articulation. The conclusion is drawn that the word-initial voiceless stop length contrast in KM can also be characterized by differing amplitude/F0 ratios alongside the wellknown primary acoustic correlate of closure duration.