On aspiration in Swahili: hypotheses, field observations, and an instrumental analysis

Quantitative evidence to substantiate accounts of Swahili phonetics is scarce. In this paper, attention is drawn to the particularly complex feature of aspiration. A set of working hypotheses for experimental research are formulated. On the basis of field observations, aspiration is assumed to be operative at several levels of Swahili grammar. Contrary claims are reviewed and discussed in relation to informant selection and control methods for experimental procedures. A digital phonetic data base under current construction is outlined. Speech samples from the data base are used to quantify Swahili aspiration along the voice onset time dimension. The data suggest that the physical manifestation of the aspiration feature is relatively strong in Swahili as compared with Swedish.