> Caucasian languages (which is, I think, a geographical and not genetic
> classification). Ubykh is the standard example: the WP article on the
> topic at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubykh_phonology observes that it
> has the largest consonant inventory of any language that doesn't use
> clicks, but has only two contrastive vowels: /�?/ and /a/ (and possibly
> also /a:/, tho it is also analysable as /aa/). In practice, however, the
> vowels [e i o u a: e: i: o: u:] also occur as allophones conditioned by
> palatalised and labialised coarticulations in consonants or the platal
> and labio-velar glides themselves.
>
> Scary, huh?
>
>