Re: Here we go loup-garou

On 7/10/07, Jeff Rollin <jeff.rollin@...> wrote:
> FWIW I think there are Aust Abor languages that lack /s/, but I don't know if
> any lack all sonorants - if /s/ is an example of what you mean by sonorant.
My understanding is that a "sonorant" is any sound that can serve as a
syllable nucleus (including or excluding vowels, depending on whom you
ask).  There is frequently a hierarchy of sonority, with vowels as the
most sonorous and stops the least.   But when used binarily, the term
"sonorant" includes fricatives, nasals, and liquids.  Non-liquid
approximants ([j], [w], etc) are not sonorant; they are essentially
de-sonorized vowels.

--
Mark J. Reed <markjreed@...>