Voiceless lateral fricative

[Dave Robertson]

Hi, Ferenc pi kanawi-lhaksta,

I've always found it interesting that this "voiceless lateral fricative" sound has historically been written in varying ways, according to the languages being represented and the languages of those trying to write it.

Mostly in Chinook Jargon and other Pacific Northwest languages, the old documents use "tl" or "kl", sometimes "lth" or "xl" or other odd combinations.

In the Southeast USA, those who recorded Mobilian Jargon often wrote "shl" or "sl" for the same sound.  What's fascinating is that you never see that way of writing it in the Northwest.

And from Southeast Alaska, for Chinook Jargon and for Tlingit I've seen "s" for this sound.  This is another regionally restricted way of writing it.

These differences, and the discussion you've been having, may lend support to a claim made on this list a few years ago that the voiceless lateral fricative is pronounced rather differently from language to language.

--Dave R.

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