On the phonetic realization and variation of consonant geminates in Sakha

Abstract

This study examines the phonetic realization of geminates of different manners of articulation in an underdocumented Turkic language Sakha using production data from a native speaker. Meanwhile, the temporal compensation between geminates and their surrounding vowels is examined by varying the length of the vowels surrounding the target consonants. Results show that in Sakha, geminates differ from their singleton counterparts mainly by showing a longer overall consonant duration. Regardless, gemination is realized differently for consonants with different manners of articulation. Finally, vowel length is an enhancement cue for the realization of geminates.