Re: Properties of consonants

Peter Bleackley wrote:
> Some of you may remember that my first message to this list concerned how
> to merge clusters to form single consonants. I've never yet managed to
> find
> a solution for this problem that I've been happy with, so I've decided to
> restart the process from scratch, and break it down into smaller steps.
>
> I've often seen a notation on the list that denotes features of phonemes
> in
> a manner such as [+velar][+stop][-voice]. Where can I get more information
> about this notation online? Also, where could I get information about how
> these features tend to evolve in different environments?
>
Well, here's one:
http://www.ic.arizona.edu/~lsp/Phonology/Distinctive%20Features/Phonology2a.html

That's the first ref. in a google for _phonology, distinctive features_ and
there are others (113,000 in fact); the first 20 I scanned looked pretty
respectable. You might also try _generative phonology_. This approach,
IMNSHO, is one of the best for understanding how phonologies in general, and
sound changes in particular, operate.