Re-examination of Newfoundland Mi’kmaq phonetics

• Main Author: Steeves, Sydney
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Memorial University of Newfoundland 2022
• Subjects: Mi’kmaq; Newfoundland
• Online Access: https://research.library.mun.ca/15769/; https://research.library.mun.ca/15769/3/converted.pdf

The phonology of Newfoundland Mi’kmaq was first examined in detail by Russell Bragg in 1976. Since that time, with the advancement of computer programs such as Phon and Praat, one can examine the phonetics more accurately. The goal of this thesis is to re-examine the phonetics of Newfoundland Mi’kmaq and expand upon the original observations made over 45 years ago. Ten audio hours of the same data that was first collected in the early 1970s was re-transcribed using Phon. The waveforms and spectrograms of the data were then examined in Praat in order to more accurately transcribe the data. This thesis specifically focuses on the consonants and is able to solidify some of the original observations made in 1976, expand the phonological inventory, and discover allophonic variations that were not originally noticed. Additionally, this thesis examines various voicing characteristics, consonant length, and confirms the existence of a glottal catch that the original study discussed.