On the Origin of Preaspiration in Scandinavian

The peripheral location of Scandinavian dialects with preaspiration supports the view that preaspiration was present in Common Scandinavian. Sound changes in Common Scandinavian and resulting morphophonemic alternations in the older Scandinavian languages exhibit the articulatory timing characteristic of preaspiration and sonorant devoicing and further bolster the argument that Common Scandinavian is theterminus ad quemfor the origin of preaspiration. Dialectal and historical data also indicate that preaspiration is primarily, but not exclusively, a West Scandinavian phenomenon. Finally, it is argued that the reconstruction of preaspiration and sonorant devoicing for Common Scandinavian motivates the development of West Jutlandic stød and the distribution of Common Danish stød in West Jutlandic.