Re: Phonology question

Caleb Hines wrote:
> Are there many (or even any) natlangs which lack any liquids (such as r
> and
> l)? Would it be very plausible for a language to develop without liquids?
> For example, I believe I've heard that nasals are almost universal.
>
One of my favorites-- Atoni (~Dawan, Timorese) of W. Timor-- is _almost_ an
example.  *n, *l and **r (from many sources) have all merged > /n/. The
spoiler is that the language also has /l/, of very uncertain origin. (It
seems to replace /r/ in recent loans, but beyond that it's an historical
mystery...at the moment.) There is a wordlist at
http://cinduworld.tripod.com/indonesica.htm if anyone is interested.