Re: THEORY: Feature geometry for uvulars/pharyngeals

>>  The good point is that distinguishing pharyngeals from uvualars is
>>then straightforward : the former have just the [pharyngeal] feature,
>>while the latter have both [dorsal] and [pharyngeal]. Thus, pharyngeals
>>can be more transparent to phonological processes as they have no ORAL
>>feature. Maybe it could be what you need ?
>
>
> Ah. The section on this in Clements and Hume is very brief, and if they
> mention how to distinguish uvulars from velars I must have missed it. This
> does seem like a good solution, as it allows for natural classes of
> uvulars and pharyngeals or of uvulars and velars.
Yes it is, there is just a little sentence in the last paragraph (p273)
: "[q], though a guttural sound, is [dorsal] as well as [pharyngeal]".


> I have never studied element-based phonology, but my general impressions
> of it are negative . . . I'm most likely being unfair.
Well, I think it can lead to simpler and more straightforward description.

Julien.