This paper investigates preaspiration of geminate stops in Standard Italian /pp tt kk/. We first compare voiceless stops produced in isolated words according to speaker sex and then region (Northern, Central and Southern Italy). We find that the frequency and duration of preaspiration remain relatively stable across these sociophonetic categories. Given these patterns we suggest that the appear...

The paper describes the main phonetic characteristics (acoustic, aerodynamic and articulatory) of Kinyarwanda prenasalized stops, focussing on voiceless consonants. We conclude from instrumental observations that the phonetic description of these sounds should be redefined. Consonants previously described as voiceless prenasalized stops in Rwanda are in fact whispery voiced nasal stops. Finally...

This paper examines the phonetic substance of the cliticised definite article in Luxembourgish, which generally renders as an alveolar lenis stop consonant, and how it relates to similar lexical alveolar stops and homorganic consonant clusters. It turns out that closure duration is the decisive acoustic feature: Compared with lexical stops, the clitic alveolar stop is realised with longer closu...

The primary aim of this study was to determine if adults whose native language permits neither voiced nor voiceless stops to occur in word-final position can master the English word-final /t/-/d/ contrast. Native English-speaking listeners identified the voicing feature in word-final stops produced by talkers in five groups: native speakers of English, experienced and inexperienced native Spani...