11.93, Disc: Phonetics/Ejectives/Laryngealization

[LINGUIST Network]

LINGUIST List:  Vol-11-93. Tue Jan 18 2000. ISSN: 1068-4875.

Subject: 11.93, Disc: Phonetics/Ejectives/Laryngealization

Moderators: Anthony Rodrigues Aristar: Wayne State U.<aristar at linguistlist.org>
            Helen Dry: Eastern Michigan U. <hdry at linguistlist.org>
            Andrew Carnie: U. of Arizona <carnie at linguistlist.org>

Reviews: Andrew Carnie: U. of Arizona <carnie at linguistlist.org>

Associate Editors:  Martin Jacobsen <marty at linguistlist.org>
                    Ljuba Veselinova <ljuba at linguistlist.org>
		    Scott Fults <scott at linguistlist.org>
		    Jody Huellmantel <jody at linguistlist.org>
		    Karen Milligan <karen at linguistlist.org>

Assistant Editors:  Lydia Grebenyova <lydia at linguistlist.org>
		    Naomi Ogasawara <naomi at linguistlist.org>
		    James Yuells <james at linguistlist.org>

Software development: John H. Remmers <remmers at emunix.emich.edu>
                      Sudheendra Adiga <sudhi at linguistlist.org>
                      Qian Liao <qian at linguistlist.org>

Home Page:  http://linguistlist.org/


Editor for this issue: Lydia Grebenyova <lydia at linguistlist.org>

=================================Directory=================================

1)
Date:  Mon, 17 Jan 2000 14:00:18 -0700
From:  "Dr. John E. McLaughlin" <mclasutt at brigham.net>
Subject:  Phonetics/Ejectives/Laryngealization

-------------------------------- Message 1 -------------------------------

Date:  Mon, 17 Jan 2000 14:00:18 -0700
From:  "Dr. John E. McLaughlin" <mclasutt at brigham.net>
Subject:  Phonetics/Ejectives/Laryngealization

In a recent posting, David Beck notes that certain Central American
languages differentiate between laryngealization in vowels and ejectives in
fricatives as a counterexample to the generalization that laryngealization
and ejectives are never distinctive (assuming that's what he means by "this
last generalization;" his comment doesn't really relate to the very last
generalization in the posting he was responding to--"Unlike ejectives,
laryngealized consonants may be voiced").  His Totonac and Tepehua examples
show no exception to the virtually universal generalization that ejectives
are voiceless obstruents, and laryngealized/stiff/slack/creaky segments are
sonorants or voiced obstruents.  Even in languages where the linguistic
transcription has written w', n', and l', alongside p', t', k', etc.
(Lushootseed and Heiltsuk, for example), when one reads the phonetic
descriptions of these phones it is clear that the sonorants are
laryngealized or preglottalized and not ejective, while the voiceless
obstruents are ejective and not laryngealized.

John E. McLaughlin, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
mclasutt at brigham.net

Program Director
Utah State University On-Line Linguistics
http://english.usu.edu/lingnet

English Department
3200 Old Main Hill
Utah State University
Logan, UT  84322-3200

(435) 797-2738 (voice)
(435) 797-3797 (fax)


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
LINGUIST List: Vol-11-93