Re: Syllable-Initial /N/

----- Original Message -----
From: "H. S. Teoh" <hsteoh@...>

> Initial [N] isn't at all exotic. But I can't speak for others here, since
> my L1 is filled with these things. :-)
Teonaht: ngadol, "meat." ngorik, "throat." ngallinga, "abscess."  ngordaf,
"murder."  Mostly bad concepts.

dzabraned, "waver," "go back and forth"; dzabravar, "whisk, fan."  dzadr,
"sulphur,"  a voicing of the very common initial ts sound in Teonaht.

Lots of initial lr's:  lrapa, "toe"; lre, "finger"; lravvorka, "hostility";
lreifned/rem, "draw, attract", etc.

Lots of voiceless nasals:  hmeo, "sir"; hman, "bread"; hmened, "must, be
obligated to"; hmekorem, "cleanse"; hnavvoa, "tunnel, subterranean passage"
etc.  NOT the Welsh pronunciation.  You actually hiss through your nose.

In some regions, the Teonaht "r" is a retroflex flap.  You curl the tongue
back and bring it forward against your palate.



> [snip]
> > /N/ in non-English positions can be fun.  :-)  It's a great way to make
> > an alien-sounding word without hard sounds.  :-)  Like, take gazh
> > (/NaZ/), the word for "world" in Ivetsian.
>
> It's not *that* alien-sounding... even English speakers do it sometimes,
> just unconsciously. If you want alien-sounding, pronounce /v/ as [B] or
> something (like Ebisedian does). :-P
Don't boast, Teoh!  <G>

> > /gl/ became /dl/ which in turn became /dK\/ -> /K\/ (that's voiced
> > lateral fricative if I got the symbol wrong)
> [snip]
>
> Now, *that* is a cool sound. I need to introduce that sound into
> Ebisedian's daughter langs. :-)
Teonaht experimented with that, too.  There were just too many T. initial
clusters, and it didn't seem natlangy enough.
 Like Teoh, I'll have to save it for Rordaly.  :)


Sally Caves
scaves@frontiernet.net
Eskkoat ol ai sendran, rohsan nuehra celyil takrem bomai nakuo.
"My shadow follows me, putting strange, new roses into the world."

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