Voice onset time in Rma
Rma (also called Qiang) is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken in Northwestern Sichuan, China. In the literature on Rma, all documented varieties of Rma have been reported to have a three-way voice onset timing (VOT) distinction between voiceless unaspirated, voiceless aspirated, and voiced unaspirated obstruents. This study reports a variety of Rma, which has a near merger of the voiceless unaspirated and voiced unaspirated stops. A pilot study was conducted with speakers from three different villages within Yonghe valley. The results of this empirical study suggest that the Lower Yonghe valley variety has innovated a near merger between voiced and voiceless unaspirated obstruents.
Article outline
- 1.Outline
- 2.Voice onset time in Rma
- 2.1Reconstructing the VOT contrast
- 3.VOT in Yonghe Rma
- 3.1A voicing merger in Lower Yonghe
- 3.1.1Participants
- 3.1.2Elicitation materials and procedure
- 3.1.3Results
- 3.2Different reflexes of *St- clusters
- 4.Conclusion
- Notes
-
References
References (31)
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