Re: tlhn'ks't, ngghlyam'ft, and other scary words
| From: | Danny Wier <dawier@...> |
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| Date: | Tuesday, February 4, 2003, 23:23 |
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From: "Andreas Johansson" <and_yo@...>
| I've been seeing the name "Tamazight" alot lately - what is it?
Tamazight is a Berber language of Morocco and Algeria, and Berber is a branch of
Afro-Asiatic. One of its features is the loss of short vowels in open syllables
and loss of vowel length with insertion of /@/ in certain cases, and PAA
ejective stops become voiced pharyngealized, like Arabic "emphatics".
| While Tairezazh's clusters aren't exactly georgianesque, you do get words
| like _zgzang_ "tetragon". The other day it occured to me that I can't recall
| seeing an initial cluster which features the same consonant twice (excluding
| as part of a affricate like in German "Szene"). Anyone's got any examples?
| Is there any theoretical reasons to expect that such clusters shouldn't turn
| up or be rare?
Don't forget Russian /StS'/, which is often simplified to [S':]. Should there be
a word for a consonant cluster which involves flanking a conjsonant with the
same fricative on both sides? Tairezazhism?
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