Voicing

Across the Dene languages, the sounds are represented with similar symbols in their orthographies. The following is a general version of a Dene orthography. The top row are the sounds under discsussion in this section; these sounds are represented by a voiced symbol, but they represent voiceless sounds in some of the Dene languages. 

 

The Dene languages vary in whether the "voiced" stops or affricate in the series (d, ddh, dz, dl, j, g) are actually voiced sounds. In some Dene languages they are voiced (e.g. [d]), while in others they are voiceless and unaspirated (e.g. [t]). 

 

Figure 1: Dene Sųłiné voiced d [d]

 

Figure 1 shows a d [d] from Dene Sųłiné; this sound is fully voiced, as can be seen in the spectrogram and waveform. There voicing all the way through the closure period of the stop. The other voiced stops in the series (ddh [dð], dz [dz], dl [dl], j [dʒ],and g [g]) also follow this pattern. Note also that the release burst is followed very closely by the voicing in the vowels. Dogrib is also a voiced stop language, as can be observed in the database examples d [d], dz [dz], dl [dl], j [dʒ], and g [g]. 

 

Figure 2: North Slavey voiceless d [t]

 

In North Slavey, the stops are voiceless and unaspirated. Figure 2 shows a North Slavey word containing two instances of voiceless d [t]. There is no voicing during the closure period, even in between two vowels. Both North Slavey and Navajo are a voiceless stop languages. 

Variability in voicing: When a stop is voiced, a voicing bar is present in the spectrogram during the closure. In a fully voiced stop, it is voiced all the way through the closure, as in Figure 1. However, this full voicing is uncommon. Many voiced stops, even within the same language, only show partial voicing. Contrast the Dene Sųłiné d [d] in Figure 1 with the Dene Sųłiné g [g]. The g [g] is only partially voiced. The reasons for this partial voicing are likely physiological; to produce full voicing through a stop or affricate closure requires extra effort to maintain the vibration of the vocal folds. 

 

Figure 3: Dogrib d [d] and dz [dz]

 

Another example of variability in the voicing of voiced stops can be seen in Dogrib in Figure 3. The d [d] sound in initial position does not appear to be voiced, but the voiced affricate dz [dz] in medial position is voiced through the closure portion of the affricate. Languages with voiced stops often have a lot of variability in degree of the voicing of their stops. Sometimes they do not appear to be voiced at all, especially in word-initial position; intervocalic stops are more likely to be voiced. 

In languages with voiceless stops, such as North Slavey and Navajo, there is less variability. The stops in these languages are voiceless, even intervocalically (see Figure 2).