Re: Initial /?/ (was: Number)

> Date:         Sun, 5 Aug 2001 23:44:35 -0600
> From: Jesse Bangs <jaspax@...>
>
> > I suspect there are plenty of languages with /?-/ : /0-/ contrast,
> > provided they also contrast in other positions. Tonga, Samoa,
> > Hawaiian to my knowledge. It's certainly audible in the flow of
> > speech; in list pronunciation there might be a tendency, as in
> > English, for automatic glottal onset.
>
> I kind of doubt this.  I'm just a native English speaker, so my opinion
> isn't everything, but while I can easily distinguish [pa?e] from [pa.e],
> I can barely tell the difference between [?a] and [a].  I wouldn't be
> surprised if languages that almost have that contrast actually do
> something extra to the vowels beginning without a glottal stop, like
> beginning with a voiced [h] (IPA heng, hook-top h).
Hmmm. I don't think I can produce an initial heng without a glottal
stop creeping in before it. On the other hand, to suppress the glottal
stop I can start with a voiceless, frictionless vowel (i.e., jaw and
tongue positioned for the vowel, open glottis and pulmonic airflow)
and then start the voicing.

Anyway, to my ears the 'automatic' glottal stop before vowels in
absolute initial position is lenis, so perhaps the contrast could be
maintained by realizing an underlying consonant as fortis initially
(which can probably only mean aspirated) and leniting it in most other
positions.

Lars Mathiesen (U of Copenhagen CS Dep) <thorinn@...> (Humour NOT marked)