Timing, segmental status and aspiration in Icelandic

This paper questions the a priori assumption of the segment in phonology by considering the issues surrounding the relative timing of articulatory movements and its relationship with phonological structure. The specific focus of the paper is on pre- and postaspiration in Icelandic, with a question as to why the former is normally treated as segmental while the latter is not. An alternative analysis is offered which does not assume cross-parametric slicing into segments, which is declarative rather than derivational, and which is polysytemic as opposed to monosystemic. Timing is located in the phonetic implementation component of the phonology, which is language-specific rather than universal.