Vowel Duration and Consonant Lengthening in Djambarrpuyngu

Abstract

This paper presents an analysis of acoustic duration of vowels in Djambarrpuyŋu, a Yolŋu Matha language spoken in Arnhem Land, in northern Australia. Djambarrpuyŋu has been described as having phonologically long and short vowels, and there have also been suggestions that consonants following short vowels undergo compensatory lengthening. The aims of this study are to investigate the phonetic nature of phonologically long and short vowels in Djambarrpuyŋu, and assess whether there is any evidence of consonantal lengthening. Results show that there are significant duration differences between the phonologically long and short vowels, and furthermore that consonants following short vowels have significantly greater duration than those after long vowels.