ts / c

[`Eylan Ayfalulukanä]

Try this: you know how easy it is to say smuk.  Now try replacing the s with a ts, to make it tsmuk.  Don't worry too much about aspiration here, as the ts is likely to be unaspirated, just like p, t, and k after an s in English

You don't by chance mean 'p, t, k before s' in the last sentence, do you?

['Oma Tirea]

Try this: you know how easy it is to say smuk.  Now try replacing the s with a ts, to make it tsmuk.  Don't worry too much about aspiration here, as the ts is likely to be unaspirated, just like p, t, and k after an s in English

You don't by chance mean 'p, t, k before s' in the last sentence, do you?

No, I meant after, as in the consonant clusters sp, st, and sk.  Not ps, ts, and ks.

[`Eylan Ayfalulukanä]

Try this: you know how easy it is to say smuk.  Now try replacing the s with a ts, to make it tsmuk.  Don't worry too much about aspiration here, as the ts is likely to be unaspirated, just like p, t, and k after an s in English

You don't by chance mean 'p, t, k before s' in the last sentence, do you?

No, I meant after, as in the consonant clusters sp, st, and sk.  Not ps, ts, and ks.

Maybe I am just weird then, as I always aspirate the p. t. and k in those s- clusters.

['Oma Tirea]

Try this: you know how easy it is to say smuk.  Now try replacing the s with a ts, to make it tsmuk.  Don't worry too much about aspiration here, as the ts is likely to be unaspirated, just like p, t, and k after an s in English

You don't by chance mean 'p, t, k before s' in the last sentence, do you?

No, I meant after, as in the consonant clusters sp, st, and sk.  Not ps, ts, and ks.

Maybe I am just weird then, as I always aspirate the p. t. and k in those s- clusters.

Tse the unaspirated plosives in those positions are really allophones of the aspirated versions, so I'm not too surprised that you aspirate them.

[Ikran Ahiyìk]

Try this: you know how easy it is to say smuk.  Now try replacing the s with a ts, to make it tsmuk.  Don't worry too much about aspiration here, as the ts is likely to be unaspirated, just like p, t, and k after an s in English

You don't by chance mean 'p, t, k before s' in the last sentence, do you?

No, I meant after, as in the consonant clusters sp, st, and sk.  Not ps, ts, and ks.

Maybe I am just weird then, as I always aspirate the p. t. and k in those s- clusters.

Tse the unaspirated plosives in those positions are really allophones of the aspirated versions, so I'm not too surprised that you aspirate them.

What's the sound difference between aspirated and unaspirated in fact ?

['Oma Tirea]

Sonically speaking, they have a bit of a looser, breathier tone to them.

NB in unaspirated plosives, there is only the sound of the voice after the release of air, unlike a b, d, or g, where there is voice the whole way through.

Sran, oe omum... sometimes it can seem like a fine line between aspirated, unaspirated, and voiced plosives

I just hope the original question is answered.