| Sj-sound | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ɧ | |||
| IPA number | 175 | ||
| Audio sample | |||
| Encoding | |||
| Entity(decimal) | ɧ | ||
| Unicode(hex) | U+0267 | ||
| X-SAMPA | x\ | ||
| |||
Thesj-sound (Swedish:sj-ljudet[ˈɧêːˌjʉːdɛt]) is avoicelessfricativephoneme found in thesound system of mostdialects of Swedish. It has a variety of realisations, whose precisephonetic characterisations are a matter of debate, but which often feature distinctlabialization. The sound is represented inSwedish orthography by a number of spellings, the most common of which are⟨sj⟩ (from which the common Swedish name for the sound is derived),⟨stj⟩,⟨skj⟩, and (beforefront vowels)⟨sk⟩; if considered incomplementary distribution with[ʂ], up to 65 different spellings for the phoneme have been identified in native words andloanwords.[1] The sound should not be confused with the Swedishtj-sound/ɕ/, usually spelled⟨tj⟩,⟨kj⟩, or (before front vowels)⟨k⟩.
The IPA letter for these sounds, ⟨ɧ⟩, has occasionally been used for other languages, but as it has no set phonetic value, this is only useful as an abstraction (as indeed it is in Swedish).
Thesj-sounds are transcribed ⟨ɧ⟩ in theInternational Phonetic Alphabet. TheInternational Phonetic Association (IPA) describes[ɧ] as "simultaneous[ʃ] and[x]" (that is,[ʃ͜x]). Other descriptive labels include:
However, neither of these realizations are attested, and phoneticians doubt that such a realization is possible in "ordinary language," as it is difficult to produce, or even to hear, turbulent (fricative) airflow at two places of articulation simultaneously.[2]
The closest sound found in English, as well as many other languages, is thevoiceless postalveolar fricative[ʃ] (Swedish words with the sound often correspond to English words with "sh", such as "shield", "shoot"), although usually the closest audible approximation is thevoiceless labialized velar approximant[w̥] found in some English dialects. Regionally, it varies from being more[w̥]-like in the standard speech, to being more[ʃ]-like in northern Sweden and Finland. Thetj-sound (which often corresponds to English words with "ch", such as "chicken", "church") remains distinct, varying from more[ʃ]-like (i.e.,/ɕ/) in the standard speech to more[tʃ]-like in northern Sweden and Finland.
 | This articlecontainsoverly lengthy quotations. Please helpsummarise the quotations. Consider transferring direct quotations toWikiquote or excerpts toWikisource.(June 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Theplace of articulation of thesj-sound varies over Swedish regions and is not agreed upon. It has been variously found to be the following:
Consider the following comments byPeter Ladefoged andIan Maddieson:
Some dialects of Swedish have a fricative that has been said to have two or even three articulatory constrictions (Abercrombie 1967). We do not, however, think it is correct for more than one of these constrictions to be considered a fricative articulation. There is good data available on the Swedish sibilant fricatives (Lindblad 1980) allowing us to consider these sounds in detail. [...] The basic descriptive problem is one of geographical, social, and stylistic variation. [...]
The [...] Swedish fricative, usually symbolized byɧ, is the most interesting. Lindblad describes two common variants of Swedishɧ. The first, for which he uses a different symbol, he calls a highly rounded, labiodental, velar or velarized fricative. [...] Lindblad suggests that the source of frication is between the lower lip and the upper teeth, and it certainly appears to be so from his x-ray. He also demonstrates that the upper lip is considerably protruded in comparison with its position with that in the gesture ofi. In addition to these anterior gestures, Lindblad notes that the "tongue body is raised and retracted towards the velum to form a fairly narrow constriction. (The presence of this constriction is constant, but not its width or location, which vary considerably.)" The posterior constriction in this variety ofɧ is not great enough to be itself a source of turbulence, so that, although this sound may have three notable constrictions, one in the velar region, one labiodental, and a lesser one between the two lips, only the labiodental constriction is a source of friction.
The second common variant of Swedishɧ [...] is described by Lindblad as a "dorsovelar voiceless fricative" pronounced with the jaw more open and without the lip protrusion that occurs in the other variety. Lindblad suggests that the difference between this sound and the more usual velar fricativex is that the latter "is formed with low frequency irregular vibrations in the saliva at the constriction" (Lindblad 1980, our translation). We infer from his descriptions and diagrams that this variant ofɧ has less frication, and may be slightly further forward than the velar fricativex commonly found in other languages. Lindblad claims that between the extreme positions of the labiodentalɧ and the more velarɧ, "there are a number of intermediate types with various jaw and lip positions, including some with both anterior and posterior sound sources." [W]e doubt that it is possible to produce turbulence at two points in mouth simultaneously for ordinary linguistic purposes.
[...]
The most well-known case [of a possible multiply articulated fricative] is the Swedish segment that has been described as a doubly articulated voiceless palato-alveolo-velar fricative, i.e.,ʃ͡x. The IPA even goes so far as to provide a separate symbol for this sound on its chart, namelyɧ. The sound in question is one variant of the pronunciation of the phonological elementʃ, which is highly variable in Swedish dialects, receiving pronunciations ranging from a palatalized bilabial sound to a velarized palato-alveolar one to a fully velar one. [I]t is not clear that any of the variants is actually a doubly articulated fricative.
— Ladefoged & Maddieson 1996, pp. 171–172, 329–330
A sound transcribed with ⟨ɧ⟩ is also reported to occur in theColognian dialect ofRipuarian inGermany,[5][6] being articulated in positions in words thatenveloping Standard German has[ç].
The acoustic difference between/ʃ/ and the Kölsch/ɧ/ is difficult to perceive but thearticulation is clearly distinct.[5] A similarity between Swedish/ɧ/ and the Kölsch/ɧ/ has not been established, and comments suggest that the choice of ⟨ɧ⟩ might well have been based upon a misunderstanding.[6] Certainly, the Kölsch/ɧ/ is notdoubly articulated and even contrasts with a slightlyvelarized/ʃ/.
Some phoneticians, such asGeorg Sachse [de] of theUniversity of Cologne in his lessons on IPA transcription, suggest that ⟨ɕ⟩ might be a better symbol for the sound.
A sound transcribed with ⟨ɧ⟩ is also reported word-initially and word-medially in theWutun language, where it is described simply as a "velar glide", which would be[ɰ].[7] The symbol has also been used for an allophone of/s~ʃ/ that occurs before/t/ in some accents of theBahing language of Nepal.[8]
