Clicks, stop bursts, vocoids and the timing of articulatory gestures in Kinyarwanda

Abstract

This paper shows that differences in timing and coordination of articulatory gestures in Kinyarwanda’s complex consonants trigger the emergence of epiphenomenal clicks. Acoustic and aerodynamic data show that click bursts of weak intensity appear in sequences of front (bilabial or alveolar) and velar nasals. The possible consequences of this phenomenon for sound change are briefly discussed. The emergence of short vocoids due a different timing of articulatory gestures allows discussing the status of syllabic constituents in complex nasal consonants. Keyword: Kinyarwanda, clicks, phonetics, vocoids, articulatory gestures