A palatographic study of Shughni consonants

This study presents an extensive palatographic analysis of Shughni consonants, focusing on coronals and velar fricatives. Its main goal is to empirically test the existing descriptions of Shughni phonemes, particularly addressing the controversial "noisiness" of velar fricatives and the place classification of coronals. The results reveal significant discrepancies between the traditional descriptions and actual articulatory data coming from seven native speakers of Shughni. In particular, the Shughni /t d θ ð ʦ ʣ n l/ are shown to be typically dental, while /s z ʧ ʤ/ are alveolar and /r/ is postalveolar. It is also shown that neither of the existing explanations for the "noisiness" of Shughni velar fricatives is supported by the palatographic data. Additionally, a case of intra-speaker variation is described, suggesting a shift from the alveolar to dental articulation of coronal obstruents over one year.