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<BR><BR>Alexandra Y. Aikhenvald, PhD, DLitt, FAHA<BR>Professor and Research Leader (Peoples and Societies of the Tropics)<BR>The Cairns Institute <BR>James Cook University<BR>PO Box 6811<BR>Cairns<BR>Queensland 4870<BR>Australia<BR><BR>mobile 0400 305315<BR>office 61-7-40421117<BR>home 61-7-40381876<BR> <BR><A href="mailto:alexandra.aikhenvald@jcu.edu.au">alexandra.aikhenvald@jcu.edu.au</A> <BR><A href="http://www.jcu.edu.au/sass/staff/JCUPRD_043649.html">http://www.jcu.edu.au/sass/staff/JCUPRD_043649.html</A><BR><A href="http://www.aikhenvaldlinguistics.com/">http://www.aikhenvaldlinguistics.com/</A><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR> <BR>> Date: Sat, 5 Dec 2009 15:24:26 -0500<BR>> From: phonosemantics@EARTHLINK.NET<BR>> Subject: Re: [Histling-l] Asymmetry in voiceless stop lenition<BR>> To: LINGTYP@LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG<BR>> <BR>> I don't know if this is relevant, but in Yahgan obstruents are not treated equally by articulatory position.<BR>> <BR>> The system of the Yahgashaga dialect in the mid-19th century consisted of p, b, t, d, ch, j, and k, g.<BR>> <BR>> In word final position or before another obstruent-initial syllable all these were fricativized (after dropping following vowel): p/b>f, t/d>hr, ch/j>rri (?), k/g>x. There is also r>sh.<BR>> <BR>> However, there was a 'flux' of these forms in initial position, between t and d, ch and j, and k and g.<BR>> But p and b did NOT alternate- rather p alternated with f. There is some evidence that b went with w. It is possible that at some more abstract level r/sh fit this latter pattern, but there aren't any initial r's in the language.<BR>> <BR>> Jess Tauber<BR>> phonosemantics@earthlink.net<BR> </body>
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