Re: Lïzxvööse Verbs I: ActiveTri-Consonantals

> >
> > > The lengthening here is very normal when there is loss of some
> > > kind.   However, geminate consonants are basically defined by
> > > a break in syllables lying between them.
> >
> > This is not true. There are languages in this world that have word final
> > geminates, which hardly spans a syllable break.
>
> You know, I seem to remember reading about this too, but then my
> phonology professor said something to the effect that I mentioned
> above;  perhaps I misunderstood or misheard her.  In any event, how
> do these languages distinguish between the two?  Is it just that the extra
> mora is assigned to the consonant rather than to the vowel?
>
There's a quote from a language called Taba in which initial geminates are
very common; geminate-ungeminate pairs sometimes differentiating very
similar concepts.

"tala [to meet]
ttala [we (inc) meet]
gOwO [place]
ggOwO [neck]
han [to go]
hhan [you go]"

Quoting the relevant section - "Phrase-initial geminates are realized in
_careful_ speech with a greater degree of tension and more articulatory
force ..." then it goes on to say that in casual speech they're articulated
the same as ungeminated consonants.

Strange, eh.

Imperative

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