Voice quality differences associated with stops and clicks in Xhosa

Abstract

Voiced stops/clicks in Xhosa cause f0 depression in the following vowel. Some authors also claim that these sounds are followed by breathy phonation. An appropriate set of words with different stop and click categories was read by eight speakers of Xhosa. Voice quality was measured asH*1 –H*2 andH*1 –A*3. f0 andF1 were determined as well. Measurements were made for four periods early in the following vowel and one close to its center. The occurrence of breathy voice after voiced stops/clicks was inferred from levels ofH*1 –H2 andH*1 –A*3 about as high or higher than those generally expected closely after voiceless aspirated stops. The existence of f0 depression after voiced stops/clicks could be confirmed. F1 was usually highest after aspirated and lowest after voiced stops/clicks. Indications of breathy voice after voiced stops/clicks were found for some speakers only. It is argued that extensive larynx lowering and vocal fold slackening can explain the specifics of the voicing feature in Xhosa. A similar situation occurs in Shanghai Chinese. Based on that comparison it is suggested that “slack voice” is a more appropriate term for the relevant Xhosa sounds than “breathy voice”.