Tongue body shape during the production of Irish palatalization and velarization

Abstract

Irish is an endangered Celtic (Goidelic) language that has a rare phonemic contrast between palatalized and velarized consonants for all places and manners of articulation. Using ultrasound tongue body imaging of 15 native speakers we provide comparative data on the phonetic realization of the contrast, specifically focusing on how place, manner, and vowel context each affect tongue body position during production for each of the three major dialects. Using principal components analysis, we find evidence for the role of tongue root advancement in the contrast independent of the (less surprising) roles of tongue body frontness and raising. This data have consequences for our understanding of the relationship between phonetic and phonological categories as well as the role of perceptual saliency in shaping inventories.