The effects of implosives and prenasalized stops on pitch in Shona

• Published in: The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 2005-04, Vol.117 (4_Supplement), p.2461-2461
• Main Author: Chavez-Peon, Mario E.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0001-4966; 1520-8524
• DOI: 10.1121/1.4787296

It is well known that F0 at vowel onset can be influenced by a preceding consonant. That influence varies significantly across languages and consonant types, and may function as a perceptual signal to consonant manner. It has further been suggested that tone languages may behave differently from non-tone languages in this respect, with a shorter duration of consonantal perturbation [Hombert, Studies in African Linguistics, 1977]. Previous studies include a limited range of consonant types, and too few tone languages to test Hombert’s proposal. This study presents the results of an acoustical investigation of the effects of implosives and prenasalized stops on the F0 of a following vowel in Shona, a tone language. It is found that implosives have a similar raising effect on F0 at vowel onset than that of voiceless (aspirated) stops, contrary to expectations based on previous studies [Wright and Shryock, Journal of the Phonetic Association, 1993]. It is also found that prenasalized consonants behave as nasals, having no effect on the F0 of the following vowel, again contrary to expectation [cf. Trithart, Studies in Bantu Tonology, 1976; and Hombert, Studies in Bantu Tonology, 1976]. Finally, duration results do not support Hombert’s position regarding tone languages.