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Re: Phonology and Questions

From:Matt Pearson <jmpearson@...>
Date:Monday, May 8, 2000, 14:35
Marcus Smith wrote:

>> 2) Are there any natlangs with voiceless vowels? I can only think of >> Cheyenne. > >It was debated back in the 50's and 60's whether Comanche had a contrast >between voiced and voiceless vowels. I think most people today say the >voiceless vowels are derived. > >I've heard it said that Japanese is developing distinct voiceless vowels, but >I've never seen the evidence for this. They are clearly there when you hear a >native speaker talk, but they seem to be predictable.
Malagasy also has voiceless vowels, but as with Japanese, these are allophones of the voiced vowels and their distribution is entirely predictable. Matt.