Acoustic correlates of the fortis/lenis contrast in Swiss German plosives

Abstract

Several of the High Allemanic dialects of German, collectively known as Swiss German, exhibit consonantal contrasts which differ in nature from those in other German dialects. Through spectral analysis, the nature of the two Swiss German plosive series (/p, t, k/ contrasting with /b, d, g/) will be investigated. The manner in which these series contrast is not one of voicing or aspiration, and can best be characterized as fortis versus lenis. The acoustic character of the fortis/lenis contrast in Swiss German plosives will be explored by examining the main spectral features of each plosive in three phonetic environments: word-initially, word-medially, and word-finally.