The sj-sound (Swedish: sj-ljudet[ˈɧêːˌjʉːdɛt]) is a voicelessfricativephoneme found in the sound system of most dialects of Swedish. It has a variety of realisations, whose precise phonetic characterisation is a matter of debate, but which usually 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 for the sound is derived, as well as ⟨stj⟩, ⟨skj⟩, and (before front vowels) ⟨sk⟩. The sound should not be confused with the Swedish tj-sound /ɕ/, often spelled ⟨tj⟩, ⟨kj⟩, or (before front vowels) ⟨k⟩.
These sounds are transcribed ⟨ɧ⟩ in the International Phonetic Alphabet. The International Phonetic Association (IPA) describes them as "simultaneous [ʃ] and [x]", but this realization is not attested, and phoneticians doubt that such a realization actually occurs in any language.[1] Other descriptive labels include:
Voiceless postalveolo-velar fricative
Voiceless palatal-velar fricative
Voiceless dorso-palatal velar fricative
Voiceless postalveolar and velar fricative
Voiceless coarticulated velar and palatoalveolar fricative
The closest sound found in English, as well as many other languages, is the voiceless postalveolar fricative[ʃ] (Swedish words with the sound often correspond to English words with "sh", such as "shield", "shoot"), although usually the closest audible approximation is the voiceless labialized velar approximant[ʍ] found in some English dialects. Regionally, it varies from being more [ʍ]-like in the standard speech, to being more [ʃ]-like in northern Sweden and Finland. The tj-sound (which often corresponds to English words with "ch", such as "chicken", "church") remains distinct, varying from more [ʃ]-like (i.e., /ɕ/) in the standard speech to more [tʃ]-like in northern Sweden and Finland.
Its manner of articulation is fricative, which means it is produced by constricting air flow through a narrow channel at the place of articulation, causing turbulence.
This article contains overly lengthy quotations. Please help summarize the quotations. Consider transferring direct quotations to Wikiquote or excerpts to Wikisource.(June 2019)
This sound has been reported in certain dialects of Swedish, where it is most often known as the sj-sound.
Its place of articulation varies over Swedish regions and is not agreed upon. It has been variously found to be the following:
velar and postalveolar, meaning it is articulated simultaneously with the tongue dorsum (i.e. the back part of the tongue) approximating the velum (i.e. the soft palate, like [x]) and just behind the teeth (like [ʃ]). However, doubly articulated fricatives are very difficult to pronounce or to hear, and many linguists doubt that they exist.[1]
Lindblad describes one of two common variants of Swedish /ɧ/ as labiodental with simultaneous velarization and protrusion of the upper lip, 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 velar. The difference between it and the cardinal velar [x] is not clear, but it may have less friction [x̞], or be further forward [x̟], or both.
Riad notes that the basic dorsal place of assimilation can be determined by the place of assimilation of a preceding nasal, with en skjorta 'a shirt', for example, being pronounced [ɛŋˈɧʊʈːa]. He notes a labialized allophone [ɧᶠ].[2]
A number of intermediate possibilities between these extremes.
Other articulations have been described as well, with no obvious standard emerging.
Some dialects of Swedish have a fricative that has been said to have two or even three articulatory constrictions (Abercrombie 1967). We do not, however, think it is correct for more than one of these constrictions to be considered a fricative articulation. There is good data available on the Swedish sibilant fricatives (Lindblad 1980) allowing us to consider these sounds in detail.
[...] The [...] Swedish fricative, usually symbolized by ɧ, is the most interesting. Lindblad describes two common variants of Swedish ɧ. The first, for which he uses a different symbol, he calls a highly rounded, labiodental, velar or velarized fricative. [...] Lindblad suggests that the source of frication is between the lower lip and the upper teeth, and it certainly appears to be so from his x-ray. He also demonstrates that the upper lip is considerably protruded in comparison with its position with that in the gesture of i. In addition to these anterior gestures, Lindblad notes that the "tongue body is raised and retracted towards the velum to form a fairly narrow constriction. (The presence of this constriction is constant, but not its width or location, which vary considerably.)" The posterior constriction in this variety of ɧ is not great enough to be itself a source of turbulence, so that, although this sound may have three notable constrictions, one in the velar region, one labiodental, and a lesser one between the two lips, only the labiodental constriction is a source of friction.
The second common variant of Swedish ɧ [...] is described by Lindblad as a "dorsovelar voiceless fricative" pronounced with the jaw more open and without the lip protrusion that occurs in the other variety. Lindblad suggests that the difference between this sound and the more usual velar fricative x is that the latter "is formed with low frequency irregular vibrations in the saliva at the constriction" (Lindblad 1980, our translation). We infer from his descriptions and diagrams that this variant of ɧ has less frication, and may be slightly further forward than the velar fricative x commonly found in other languages. Lindblad claims that between the extreme positions of the labiodental ɧ and the more velar ɧ, "there are a number of intermediate types with various jaw and lip positions, including some with both anterior and posterior sound sources." [W]e doubt that it is possible to produce turbulence at two points in mouth simultaneously for ordinary linguistic purposes.
The best-known case [of a possible multiply articulated fricative] is the Swedish segment that has been described as a doubly articulated voiceless palato-alveolo-velar fricative, i.e., ʃ͡x. The IPA even goes so far as to provide a separate symbol for this sound on its chart, namely ɧ. The sound in question is one variant of the pronunciation of the phonological element ʃ, which is highly variable in Swedish dialects, receiving pronunciations ranging from a palatalized bilabial sound to a velarized palato-alveolar one to a fully velar one. [I]t is not clear that any of the variants is actually a doubly articulated fricative.
The acoustic difference between /ʃ/ and the Kölsch /ɧ/ is difficult to perceive but the articulation is clearly distinct.[3] Whether or not there is a relation between Swedish /ɧ/ and the Kölsch /ɧ/ is not known. While none seems to have been established, comments suggest that the choice of ⟨ɧ⟩ might well have been based upon a misunderstanding.[4] Certainly, the Kölsch /ɧ/ is not doubly articulated and even contrasts with a slightly velarized/ʃ/.
Some phoneticians[5] suggest that ⟨ɕ⟩ is a better symbol for this sound, but this is not established practice, and may need further research.
Himalayan languagesedit
A sound transcribed with ⟨ɧ⟩ is also reported word-initially and word-medially in the Wutun language, where it has been described as a dorso-palatal/velar glide.[6] The symbol is also used in describing a sound in the Bahing language of Nepal.[7]
Lindblad, Per (1980). "Svenskans sj- och tj-ljud i ett Allmänfonetisk Perspektiv". Travaux de l'Institut de Linguistique de Lund (in Swedish) (16). Lund: C. W. K. Gleerup.
sound, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, august, 2021, learn,. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Sj sound news newspapers books scholar JSTOR August 2021 Learn how and when to remove this message The sj sound Swedish sj ljudet ˈɧeːˌjʉːdɛt is a voiceless fricative phoneme found in the sound system of most dialects of Swedish It has a variety of realisations whose precise phonetic characterisation is a matter of debate but which usually 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 for the sound is derived as well as stj skj and before front vowels sk The sound should not be confused with the Swedish tj sound ɕ often spelled tj kj or before front vowels k Voiceless palatal velar fricative Sj sound ɧIPA Number175Audio sample source source source helpEncodingEntity decimal amp 615 Unicode hex U 0267X SAMPAx Image These sounds are transcribed ɧ in the International Phonetic Alphabet The International Phonetic Association IPA describes them as simultaneous ʃ and x but this realization is not attested and phoneticians doubt that such a realization actually occurs in any language 1 Other descriptive labels include Voiceless postalveolo velar fricative Voiceless palatal velar fricative Voiceless dorso palatal velar fricative Voiceless postalveolar and velar fricative Voiceless coarticulated velar and palatoalveolar fricative The closest sound found in English as well as many other languages is the voiceless postalveolar fricative ʃ Swedish words with the sound often correspond to English words with sh such as shield shoot although usually the closest audible approximation is the voiceless labialized velar approximant ʍ found in some English dialects Regionally it varies from being more ʍ like in the standard speech to being more ʃ like in northern Sweden and Finland The tj sound which often corresponds to English words with ch such as chicken church remains distinct varying from more ʃ like i e ɕ in the standard speech to more tʃ like in northern Sweden and Finland Contents 1 Features 2 Occurrence 2 1 Dialects of Swedish 2 2 Kolsch 2 3 Himalayan languages 3 See also 4 Notes 5 References 6 External linksFeatures editFeatures of the sj sound Its manner of articulation is fricative which means it is produced by constricting air flow through a narrow channel at the place of articulation causing turbulence Its place of articulation varies by dialect but usually include a velar component Its phonation is voiceless which means it is produced without vibrations of the vocal cords It is an oral consonant which means air is allowed to escape through the mouth only It is a central consonant which means it is produced by directing the airstream along the center of the tongue rather than to the sides The airstream mechanism is pulmonic which means it is articulated by pushing air solely with the intercostal muscles and abdominal muscles as in most sounds Occurrence editDialects of Swedish edit This article contains overly lengthy quotations Please help summarize the quotations Consider transferring direct quotations to Wikiquote or excerpts to Wikisource June 2019 source source The word skjuta to shoot as pronounced in Central Standard Swedish Smaland Swedish Norrland Swedish Finland Swedish and Rinkeby Swedish respectively This sound has been reported in certain dialects of Swedish where it is most often known as the sj sound Its place of articulation varies over Swedish regions and is not agreed upon It has been variously found to be the following velar and postalveolar meaning it is articulated simultaneously with the tongue dorsum i e the back part of the tongue approximating the velum i e the soft palate like x and just behind the teeth like ʃ However doubly articulated fricatives are very difficult to pronounce or to hear and many linguists doubt that they exist 1 Lindblad describes one of two common variants of Swedish ɧ as labiodental with simultaneous velarization and protrusion of the upper lip 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 velar The difference between it and the cardinal velar x is not clear but it may have less friction x or be further forward x or both Riad notes that the basic dorsal place of assimilation can be determined by the place of assimilation of a preceding nasal with en skjorta a shirt for example being pronounced ɛŋˈɧʊʈːa He notes a labialized allophone ɧᶠ 2 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 and Ian Maddieson Some dialects of Swedish have a fricative that has been said to have two or even three articulatory constrictions Abercrombie 1967 We do not however think it is correct for more than one of these constrictions to be considered a fricative articulation There is good data available on the Swedish sibilant fricatives Lindblad 1980 allowing us to consider these sounds in detail The Swedish fricative usually symbolized by ɧ is the most interesting Lindblad describes two common variants of Swedish ɧ The first for which he uses a different symbol he calls a highly rounded labiodental velar or velarized fricative Lindblad suggests that the source of frication is between the lower lip and the upper teeth and it certainly appears to be so from his x ray He also demonstrates that the upper lip is considerably protruded in comparison with its position with that in the gesture of i In addition to these anterior gestures Lindblad notes that the tongue body is raised and retracted towards the velum to form a fairly narrow constriction The presence of this constriction is constant but not its width or location which vary considerably The posterior constriction in this variety of ɧ is not great enough to be itself a source of turbulence so that although this sound may have three notable constrictions one in the velar region one labiodental and a lesser one between the two lips only the labiodental constriction is a source of friction The second common variant of Swedish ɧ is described by Lindblad as a dorsovelar voiceless fricative pronounced with the jaw more open and without the lip protrusion that occurs in the other variety Lindblad suggests that the difference between this sound and the more usual velar fricative x is that the latter is formed with low frequency irregular vibrations in the saliva at the constriction Lindblad 1980 our translation We infer from his descriptions and diagrams that this variant of ɧ has less frication and may be slightly further forward than the velar fricative x commonly found in other languages Lindblad claims that between the extreme positions of the labiodental ɧ and the more velar ɧ there are a number of intermediate types with various jaw and lip positions including some with both anterior and posterior sound sources W e doubt that it is possible to produce turbulence at two points in mouth simultaneously for ordinary linguistic purposes The best known case of a possible multiply articulated fricative is the Swedish segment that has been described as a doubly articulated voiceless palato alveolo velar fricative i e ʃ x The IPA even goes so far as to provide a separate symbol for this sound on its chart namely ɧ The sound in question is one variant of the pronunciation of the phonological element ʃ which is highly variable in Swedish dialects receiving pronunciations ranging from a palatalized bilabial sound to a velarized palato alveolar one to a fully velar one I t is not clear that any of the variants is actually a doubly articulated fricative Ladefoged amp Maddieson 1996 pp 171 172 330 Kolsch edit A sound transcribed with ɧ is also reported to occur in the Kolsch variety of Ripuarian in Germany 3 4 being articulated in positions in words that enveloping Standard German has c The acoustic difference between ʃ and the Kolsch ɧ is difficult to perceive but the articulation is clearly distinct 3 Whether or not there is a relation between Swedish ɧ and the Kolsch ɧ is not known While none seems to have been established comments suggest that the choice of ɧ might well have been based upon a misunderstanding 4 Certainly the Kolsch ɧ is not doubly articulated and even contrasts with a slightly velarized ʃ Some phoneticians 5 suggest that ɕ is a better symbol for this sound but this is not established practice and may need further research Himalayan languages edit A sound transcribed with ɧ is also reported word initially and word medially in the Wutun language where it has been described as a dorso palatal velar glide 6 The symbol is also used in describing a sound in the Bahing language of Nepal 7 See also editIndex of phonetics articles Rheinische Dokumenta Swedish phonologyNotes edit a b Ladefoged amp Maddieson 1996 Tomas Riad 2014 The Phonology of Swedish Oxford University Press p 61 a b Heike Georg 1964 Zur Phonologie der Stadtkolner Mundart Deutsche Dialektgeographie Band in German 57 Marburg a b Bhatt Christa Herrwegen Alice 2005 Das Kolsche Worterbuch in German and Kolsch 2nd ed Bachem Verlag Koln ISBN 3 7616 1942 1 Such as Georg Sachse de of the University of Cologne in his lessons on IPA transcription Sandman Erika 2016 A Grammar of Wutun PDF Ph D thesis University of Helsinki hdl 10138 168427 ISBN 978 951 51 2633 7 p 230 Lee Maureen Issues in Bahing orthography development Himalayan Linguistics 10 no 1 2011 227 252 References editAbercrombie David 1967 Elements of general phonetics Chicago Aldine Garlen Claes 1988 Svenskans fonologi i kontrastiv och typologisk belysning in Swedish Lund Studentlitteratur Ny utg Ladefoged Peter Maddieson Ian 1996 The sounds of the world s languages Oxford Blackwell Publishers Lindblad Per 1980 Svenskans sj och tj ljud i ett Allmanfonetisk Perspektiv Travaux de l Institut de Linguistique de Lund in Swedish 16 Lund C W K Gleerup External links editList of languages with ɧ on PHOIBLE Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Sj sound amp oldid 1214274228, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
