Stiff Voice/Slack Voice

[petegray]

> /DHEDH/ roots.  ... stiff voice ....  Either way, /DHET/ roots or /TEDH/
> roots, which do not occur (at least commonly), would be impossible, as
> neither an original stiff vowel nor an original slack vowel could lead to
> such a result.

Interestingly modern Panjabi now uses the aspirate as a tone marker.
Although the aspirate (or the letter h) is still written, there is no
aspiration at all, and before the vowel the consonant is also devoiced.
Before a vowel it indicates low tone, after it, high tone.  So DHEDH
syllables are now impossible.

Peter