ELECTROPALATOGRAPHIC INVESTIGATIONS OF THREE FINNISH CORONAL CONSONANTS

Electropalatographic data of Finnish intervocalic /t/, /d/, & /n/ are analyzed in 2700 tokens (N = 5) comprising 10 repetitions each of simple & geminate consonants in all nine combinations of preceding & following /i/, /a/, & /u/. Data are quantified by extracting six parameters: the posterior & anterior edges of linguopalatal contact at the beginning, maximum, & end of occlusion. Results indicate that /t/ is invariably dental & differs markedly from the articulation of /d/ & /n/; no significant effect of the preceding or following vowel was obtained with /t/, whereas a tendency of /d/ to be more front than /n/ towards the end of the occlusion is particularly marked after /i/. In contexts after /u/ & those before /i/, where fronting is expected, /d/ & /n/ were nondistinct. 6 Tables, 5 References. J. Hitchcock