Aspiration in Arabic : A Spectrographic Study

Aspiration was investigated in Arabic in relation to the five stop consonants /t/, //, /k/, /q/, //. These consonants were examined before /a:/ in two positions, viz. initially and medially, and in two contexts, viz. stressed syllables and unstressed ones. The analysis result showed that all the stop consonants had a period of voicelessness between the onset of the stop closure and the onset of the following vowel, though they differed in the duration of that period; /k/ had the longest duration (39 ms), and // had the shortest one (19 ms). Only /k/ and /t/ were marked as aspirated in all positions and contexts, though /q/ may be aspirated initially (whether in stressed or unstressed syllables). The controversy of the voicing status of /q/ was also investigated. It is suggested that this controversy could be explained if the subject is viewed from the production as well as perceptual viewpoints. In addition, // showed an unstable status in relation to voicing, especially in medial position. These findings were discussed in relation to the two positions and contexts where the five stops were examined.