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Re: Ejectives, was Re: New H/G lang?

From:Ed Heil <edheil@...>
Date:Thursday, October 14, 1999, 5:13
On rereading this, I realize I was talking nonsense.  The nasal port
is above the glottis, so it could theoretically receive a glottal
initated airstream.  But as Kristian suggested, the problem is that
you really don't get much sound with such a wide open passage and so
very little air as you get from a glottal-initiated airstream.

---------------------------------------------------------------
Ed doesn't know everything, but he hasn't figured that out yet.
Please break it to him gently.              edheil@postmark.net
---------------------------------------------------------------

Ed Heil wrote:

> At least according to my book on phonetics (Catford), an ejective is > produced by closing the glottis, and raising it to produce pressure in > the vocal cavity. > > Now, the nasal passage is not affected by a closed glottis, which is > the point of being able to close the glottis -- it allows one to > swallow without getting food in one's lungs. > > Since a nasal is a consonant where air flows out the nasal passage, > and the glottis is unable to propel air out the nasal passage, by > definition one cannot have an ejective nasal. > > However, one could have a nasal quickly followed by a glottal stop, > and this might form part of a pattern where it played a role analogous > to glottalics, so for all intents and purposes there might be a nasal > in a row of ejectives. > > I'll be interested to hear more from Rob about this. > > > --------------------------------------------------------------- > Ed doesn't know everything, but he hasn't figured that out yet. > Please break it to him gently. edheil@postmark.net > --------------------------------------------------------------- > > FFlores wrote: > > > Ed Heil <edheil@...> wrote: > > > > > I don't believe ejective nasals are possible, because the glottis > > > cannot be used to produce an airstream in the nasal tract, only the > > > oral cavity. And there can be no voice with an ejective, because the > > > vocal cords are shut completely in order to produce the ejective > > > pressure. > > > > I've been trying to follow the discussion and I don't think > > I have anything to add, except this: I think I *can* make an > > ejective nasal /n_?/, (orally) unvoiced... or maybe I'm not > > releasing both stops at the same time. Is something horribly > > wrong with my vocal/nasal tract? :-O > > > > > > --Pablo Flores > > http://draseleq.conlang.org/pablo-david/ > > >