The acoustic correlates of quantity in Inari Saami

Abstract

This paper studies the phonetic realisation of the ternary length opposition of consonants in Inari Saami disyllabic feet focussing on the distinction between half-long and long geminates. Inari Saami is compared with other Saami and Finnic languages. Segmental durations, fundamental frequency and intensity are analysed. The results show a three-way distinction in consonant duration most robustly after a short stressed syllable vowel. In the case of a long stressed syllable vowel there is no difference between half-long and long geminates. In all of the analysed word structures, segments are inversely related to each other, as with an increase in consonant duration the durations of the surrounding vowels decrease. The fall in the fundamental frequency contour is less steep in words with a long geminate than in those with a short consonant or a half-long geminate. The intensity of the unstressed vowel decreases with the increasing quantity of the intervocalic consonant. The results indicate that the three-way quantity distinction in Inari Saami is primarily manifested by durational properties in a disyllabic foot, while fundamental frequency and intensity have a less important role.