Preaspiration

Preaspiration is a phonological process where a voiceless stop consonant is preceded by a voiceless fricative or an aspirated release of the preceding vowel. This phenomenon is observed in several languages, although its specific realization and phonetic details can vary. In essence, it involves adding a breathy, frictional sound before the actual articulation of the stop.

One common context for preaspiration is found in the dialects of Norwegian, particularly in Eastern Norwegian. Here, voiceless stops like /p/, /t/, and /k/ are often preceded by a voiceless fricative, typically a voiceless alveolar fricative like [s] or a voiceless velar fricative like [x]. For instance, the word "takk" (thanks) might be pronounced with preaspiration as [thɑkː] or [txɑkː]. This feature distinguishes these dialects from others where such preaspiration does not occur.

Beyond Norwegian, preaspiration has been noted in other languages and dialects, though less consistently or prominently. It can sometimes be a consequence of rapid speech or specific prosodic contexts. The exact phonetic quality of the preaspirated element can also differ, sometimes being a more general voicelessness or breathy quality rather than a distinct fricative. Understanding preaspiration is important for accurate phonetic transcription and for comprehending the phonological variations within and across languages.