Reduction, assimilation or variation? Observations on [nja] in German spontaneous speech

This paper presents observations on phonetic realisations of the German particles <ja> – ‘yes’ and <naja> – ‘well’. During a large-scale study on the particle <ja>, we identified numerous instances that in the examined dataset had been orthographically transcribed as <ja>, but were phonetically realised as [nja]. Based on phonetic and functional parameters we explore the question whether these instances can be attributed to one of the lexemes <ja> or <naja>. While phonetic measurements yield ambivalent results, analyses regarding pragmatic parameters such as function and turn position indicate that realisations of [nja] in most cases were intended as <ja>. Nevertheless, some functional differences between <ja> and [nja] can be observed.