Voiceless palatal-velar fricative
Encyclopedia
In Swedish phonology
, the sj-sound is a voiceless
fricative phoneme
found in most dialects
. It has a variety of realisations, whose precise phonetic
characterisation is a matter of debate. They have very similar acoustic properties
, similar to southern Dutch or German ⟨ch⟩ after ⟨e⟩ or ⟨i⟩, and feature distinct labialization.The sound is represented in Swedish orthography by a number of spellings, including the digraph
⟨sj⟩ from which the common Swedish name is derived as well as ⟨stj⟩, ⟨skj⟩, and ⟨sk⟩ before front vowel
s. The sound is transcribed ⟨ɧ⟩ in the International Phonetic Alphabet
. The sound should not be confused with the Swedish tj sound [ç], often spelled tj or k in Swedish.
The International Phonetic Association
describes [ɧ] as "simultaneous ʃ and x", but this claim is disputed among phoneticians, including at least one former president of the IPA. Other descriptive labels include voiceless palatal-velar fricative, voiceless dorso-palatal velar fricative, voiceless postalveolar and velar fricative, or voiceless coarticulated velar and palatoalveolar fricative. The closest English phoneme is /ʃ/ ⟨sh⟩.
, where it is most often known as the "sj"-sound.
Its place of articulation
varies over Swedish regions and is not agreed upon (see references). It has been variously found to be the following:
Consider the following comments by Peter Ladefoged
and Ian Maddieson:
, being articulated in positions in words that enveloping Standard German
has [ç].
Acoustic differentiation between [ʃ] and [ɧ] are difficult to perceive but articulation
is clearly distinct. Whether or not there is a relation between the Swedish /ɧ/, and the Kölsch /ɧ/, is not known. While none seems to have been established, comments (e.g. on page 18 in ) suggest that, the choice of ⟨ɧ⟩ might well have been based upon a misunderstanding. Doubtlessly, the Kölsch /ɧ/ is not double articulated
and even contrasts with a slightly velarized
/ʃ/.
Swedish phonology
The phonology of Swedish is notable for having a large vowel inventory, with nine vowels distinguished in quality and to some degree quantity, making 17 vowel phonemes in most dialects. Swedish pronunciation of consonants is similar to that of other Germanic languages...
, the sj-sound is a voiceless
Voiceless
In linguistics, voicelessness is the property of sounds being pronounced without the larynx vibrating. Phonologically, this is a type of phonation, which contrasts with other states of the larynx, but some object that the word "phonation" implies voicing, and that voicelessness is the lack of...
fricative phoneme
Phoneme
In a language or dialect, a phoneme is the smallest segmental unit of sound employed to form meaningful contrasts between utterances....
found in most dialects
Swedish dialects
Swedish dialects can be categorized into Traditional Dialects and Modern Dialects .-Traditional dialects:...
. It has a variety of realisations, whose precise phonetic
Phonetics
Phonetics is a branch of linguistics that comprises the study of the sounds of human speech, or—in the case of sign languages—the equivalent aspects of sign. It is concerned with the physical properties of speech sounds or signs : their physiological production, acoustic properties, auditory...
characterisation is a matter of debate. They have very similar acoustic properties
Acoustic phonetics
Acoustic phonetics is a subfield of phonetics which deals with acoustic aspects of speech sounds. Acoustic phonetics investigates properties like the mean squared amplitude of a waveform, its duration, its fundamental frequency, or other properties of its frequency spectrum, and the relationship...
, similar to southern Dutch or German ⟨ch⟩ after ⟨e⟩ or ⟨i⟩, and feature distinct labialization.The sound is represented in Swedish orthography by a number of spellings, including the digraph
Digraph
Digraph may refer to:* Digraph , a pair of characters used together to represent a single sound, such as "sh" in English* Typographical ligature, the joining of two letters as a single glyph, such as "æ"...
⟨sj⟩ from which the common Swedish name is derived as well as ⟨stj⟩, ⟨skj⟩, and ⟨sk⟩ before front vowel
Front vowel
A front vowel is a type of vowel sound used in some spoken languages. The defining characteristic of a front vowel is that the tongue is positioned as far in front as possible in the mouth without creating a constriction that would be classified as a consonant. Front vowels are sometimes also...
s. The sound is transcribed ⟨ɧ⟩ in the International Phonetic Alphabet
International Phonetic Alphabet
The International Phonetic Alphabet "The acronym 'IPA' strictly refers [...] to the 'International Phonetic Association'. But it is now such a common practice to use the acronym also to refer to the alphabet itself that resistance seems pedantic...
. The sound should not be confused with the Swedish tj sound [ç], often spelled tj or k in Swedish.
The International Phonetic Association
International Phonetic Association
The International Phonetic Association is an organization that promotes the scientific study of phonetics and the various practical applications of that science. The IPA’s major contribution to phonetics is the International Phonetic Alphabet—a notational standard for the phonetic...
describes [ɧ] as "simultaneous ʃ and x", but this claim is disputed among phoneticians, including at least one former president of the IPA. Other descriptive labels include voiceless palatal-velar fricative, voiceless dorso-palatal velar fricative, voiceless postalveolar and velar fricative, or voiceless coarticulated velar and palatoalveolar fricative. The closest English phoneme is /ʃ/ ⟨sh⟩.
Features
Features of the voiceless palatal-velar fricative:- Its place of articulationPlace of articulationIn articulatory phonetics, the place of articulation of a consonant is the point of contact where an obstruction occurs in the vocal tract between an articulatory gesture, an active articulator , and a passive location...
is disputed (see below).
Dialects of Swedish
This sound has been reported in certain dialects of SwedishSwedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
, where it is most often known as the "sj"-sound.
Its place of articulation
Place of articulation
In articulatory phonetics, the place of articulation of a consonant is the point of contact where an obstruction occurs in the vocal tract between an articulatory gesture, an active articulator , and a passive location...
varies over Swedish regions and is not agreed upon (see references). It has been variously found to be the following:
- velarVelar consonantVelars are consonants articulated with the back part of the tongue against the soft palate, the back part of the roof of the mouth, known also as the velum)....
and postalveolar, meaning it is articulated simultaneously with the tongueTongueThe tongue is a muscular hydrostat on the floors of the mouths of most vertebrates which manipulates food for mastication. It is the primary organ of taste , as much of the upper surface of the tongue is covered in papillae and taste buds. It is sensitive and kept moist by saliva, and is richly...
dorsum (i.e. the back part of the tongue) approximating the velumVelumVelum may refer to:* Superior medullary velum, part of the nervous system that stretches between parts of the brain* Veil , the veil-like membrane of immature mushrooms extending from the margin of the cap to the stem and torn by growth...
(i.e. the soft palatePalateThe palate is the roof of the mouth in humans and other mammals. It separates the oral cavity from the nasal cavity. A similar structure is found in crocodilians, but, in most other tetrapods, the oral and nasal cavities are not truly separate. The palate is divided into two parts, the anterior...
) (like [x]) and just behind the teeth (like [ʃ]). However, doubly articulatedDoubly articulated consonantDoubly articulated consonants are consonants with two simultaneous primary places of articulation of the same manner . They are a subset of co-articulated consonants. They are to be distinguished from co-articulated consonants with secondary articulation, that is, a second articulation not of the...
fricatives are very difficult to pronounce or to hear, and many linguists doubt that they exist. - Lindblad describes one of two common variants of Swedish /ɧ/ as labiodentalLabiodental consonantIn phonetics, labiodentals are consonants articulated with the lower lip and the upper teeth.-Labiodental consonant in IPA:The labiodental consonants identified by the International Phonetic Alphabet are:...
with simultaneous velarizationVelarizationVelarization is a secondary articulation of consonants by which the back of the tongue is raised toward the velum during the articulation of the consonant.In the International Phonetic Alphabet, velarization is transcribed by one of three diacritics:...
and protrusion of the upper lipRoundingRounding a numerical value means replacing it by another value that is approximately equal but has a shorter, simpler, or more explicit representation; for example, replacing $23.4476 with $23.45, or the fraction 312/937 with 1/3, or the expression √2 with 1.414.Rounding is often done on purpose to...
, which would be transcribed as [fˠʷ]. (The English sigh of relief "phew!" is one approximation, as is the voiceless labial-velar approximant that is used in some varieties of English.) He does not use the symbol ⟨ɧ⟩ for this allophone. - Lindblad describes the second common variant of Swedish /ɧ/ as velarVelar consonantVelars are consonants articulated with the back part of the tongue against the soft palate, the back part of the roof of the mouth, known also as the velum)....
. The difference between it and [x] is not clear, but it may have less friction ([x̞]), or be further forward ([x̟]), or both. - A number of intermediate possibilities between these extremes.
- Other articulations have been described as well, with no obvious standard emerging.
Consider the following comments by Peter Ladefoged
Peter Ladefoged
Peter Nielsen Ladefoged was an English-American linguist and phonetician who traveled the world to document the distinct sounds of endangered languages and pioneered ways to collect and study data . He was active at the universities of Edinburgh, Scotland and Ibadan, Nigeria 1953–61...
and Ian Maddieson:
Colognian
A sound transcribed as [ɧ] is also reported to occur in the Kölsch dialect of Ripuarian in GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, being articulated in positions in words that enveloping Standard German
Standard German
Standard German is the standard variety of the German language used as a written language, in formal contexts, and for communication between different dialect areas...
has [ç].
Acoustic differentiation between [ʃ] and [ɧ] are difficult to perceive but articulation
Manner of articulation
In linguistics, manner of articulation describes how the tongue, lips, jaw, and other speech organs are involved in making a sound. Often the concept is only used for the production of consonants, even though the movement of the articulars will also greatly alter the resonant properties of the...
is clearly distinct. Whether or not there is a relation between the Swedish /ɧ/, and the Kölsch /ɧ/, is not known. While none seems to have been established, comments (e.g. on page 18 in ) suggest that, the choice of ⟨ɧ⟩ might well have been based upon a misunderstanding. Doubtlessly, the Kölsch /ɧ/ is not double articulated
Co-articulated consonant
Co-articulated consonants or complex consonants are consonants produced with two simultaneous places of articulation. They may be divided into two classes, doubly articulated consonants with two primary places of articulation of the same manner , and consonants with secondary articulation, that is,...
and even contrasts with a slightly velarized
Velarization
Velarization is a secondary articulation of consonants by which the back of the tongue is raised toward the velum during the articulation of the consonant.In the International Phonetic Alphabet, velarization is transcribed by one of three diacritics:...
/ʃ/.
See also
- List of phonetics topics
- Swedish phonologySwedish phonologyThe phonology of Swedish is notable for having a large vowel inventory, with nine vowels distinguished in quality and to some degree quantity, making 17 vowel phonemes in most dialects. Swedish pronunciation of consonants is similar to that of other Germanic languages...
- Rheinische Dokumenta#Unvoiced fricatives