Re: more on my "pharyngeal fricative"

From: "Paul Roser" <pkroser@...>

[in response to my questions/comments on pharyngeal consonants]

> You might want to check on Nootka and the Salish languages of the Pacific
> Northwest, some of which have glottalized pharyngeals. I know there is
some
> data on the web about them, just can't find the link right now.
Not much on the web I'm afraid. I did see in a book in Austin (which I'm
moving back to on the 10th of May) which had reconstructed American
phonemes, and Salishan listed velars and uvulars (both having neutral and
labialized classes!), with some languages having pharyngeals instead of
uvulars. The uvular ejective stop would have to become a glottalized
pharyngeal.

> IIRC, several of those languages have a glottalized pharyngeal that is
> realized as a pharyngealized glottal (or epiglottal) stop. I don't think
> that you can actually make a true ejective that far back in the throat
> because there's simply not enough distance between the two closures.
Me neither. Either it's epiglottal or a simultaneous pharyngeal-glottal.

> I don't know about Zulu, but I believe the labial fricatives in Ewe were
> historically derived from labialized uvular fricatives, though I can't
> remember where I read that...
It's not so farfetched, if the uvulars become pharyngeals then disappear
altogether. They kept sliding down the back of the throat...

[about my microtonal accordion]

> Now that sounds intriguing! I'm a big fan of 17-et.
Actually it's 17-tone Pythagorean (or 17-tone Pythagorean with
5314410/524288 commas replaced by 81/80 commas, making it 5-limit just),
note ranges A double flat (or G comma flat) to B natural. Better yet, I'll
just take a bayan and put nine rows of buttons on it so it can play 53-tone
equal.

If I ever could afford to obtain the materials and tools.