Original scientific paper

Back fricative sounds in Croatian and German language

Mirjana Šnjarić ; Zagreb

Abstract

This paper compares, examines and analyses the back fricative sounds [x]
and [h] in Croatian and German. It also deals with phonologycal analysis of
the two alophon variants from the same phonem /x/ in the German stan-
dard language: the velar sound [x] and the palatale sound [ç] conditioned by
different positions in syllables. Trying to find the reason why is the sound [ç]
challanging for native Croatian speakers, the author discusses possibilities
of negative transfer due to the status of [ç] in German. The explanation is
found in the fact that in German this sound does not represent prototypical
alophone, but rather distributional one, and it is very rare sound in world
languages per se.

Keywords

phonology; fricative; h sound; Croatian; German

Hrčak ID:

125644

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/125644

Publication date:

31.10.2013.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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