LL-L "Phonology" 2002.01.14 (08) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 14.JAN.2002 (08) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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 A=Afrikaans Ap=Appalachian D=Dutch E=English F=Frisian L=Limburgish
 LS=Low Saxon (Low German) S=Scots Sh=Shetlandic Z=Zeelandic (Zeeuws)
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From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Phonology

I wrote, addressing Sandy Fleming:

> This opens up another possibility.  You might then argue that there is
> no phoneme pair /W/ vs /w/ but only the phoneme /w/, and that [W] is a
> devoiced allophone of /w/ in all cases.  On this assumption you would
> have to indicate the omissible /x/ in the underlying (phonemic)
> representation.  Since /x/, too, is a voiceless consonant, the same rule
> applies:
>
> (1)
>    |[-vocal]|
>    |        | -> [-voice] / [-voice]__
>    |[+voice]|
>
> This would then account for both types of cases of /w/ devoicing after
> voiceless consonants: (1) _twist_ [tWIst] and (2) _whist_ [xWIst].
>
> Secondly, in fast speech mode syllable-initial /x/ undergoes a deletion
> rule anywhere except before vowels (which happens to apply only to the
> sequence /xw/):
>
> (2)
>    x -> 0 / $__[-vocal]
>
> Hence, ...
>    /twist/  /xwist/
>  1  tWIst    xWIst
> (2    -      WIst)

(2) would be an "optional" (dialect- or mode-specific) rule like the one
that changes syllable-final /t/ to a glottal stop if it directly follows
a vowel:

(3) t -> ? / [+vocal]__$

... and a following syllable-initial /t/ (gemination) assimilates to it:

(4) t -> ? / ?__

Thus a geminate glottal stop, if you will.

Hence ...

  /pit/  /pitt at n/
3  pI?    pI?t at n/
4   -     pI??@n
(   -     pI?n)

There may well be a more "elegant" solution to this.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

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