Re: Betreft: Re: k(w)->p

On Thu, 27 Jan 2000, Rob Nierse wrote:

> This reminds of some other features:
> - there is an Amerindian language that lacks nasals.
>   They say "waSitoq_0" instead of "Washington".
>   That is something that struck me: a dental n replaced by
>   a rounded uvular stop.
>   Question: Does anybody know what language this is? I forgot the name
Some of the Salish languages lack nasals. In these languages
(The ones w/o nasals, that is) white people are called [bastad]
(I kid you not), derived from 'Boston'; it is not intended to
reveal their attitudes about white people's parentage.

I don't know about the alveolar -> uvular shift, though.

> - A (common) change that surprises me is [s] --> [h].
>   That sounds weird to me
Nothing could be easier. [h] is merely what is left over after
you remove constriction in the oral tract, a move referred to
as 'debuccalization'. In fact, this sound change provides
stunning evidence that voiceless fricatives are pronounced with
abducted vocal folds, an idea that until very recently was
poo-poo'ed by many a phonologist and phonetician. It saved my
bacon in my dissertation as well.

Dirk

--
Dirk Elzinga
dirk.elzinga@m.cc.utah.edu