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Re: USAGE: syllables

From:Andreas Johansson <andjo@...>
Date:Thursday, June 12, 2003, 21:14
Quoting David Starner <dvdeug@...>:

> > However, languages can pick and choose which of these they actually > > distinguish between. English, for example, uses the following > classes: > > > 1) Stops and fricatives > > 2) Nasals > > 3) Liquids and semivowels ([j] and [w]) > > 4) All other vowels > > > This obviously combines several of the possible distinctions above. > > The notion of sonority class also interacts with the idea of > "minimum > > sonority distance", which specifies how far apart segments at the > beginning > > of a syllable must be. In English, the minimum sonority distance is > 2. > > Therefore, [pl], [kr], and [tw] are valid ways to begin an English > > syllable, but [pm] and [nl] are not since the sonority of those > segments > > is too close together. > > [sn]ow, [st]ring.
Rules wouldn't be any fun if there weren't exceptions. Could this be taken as evidence in favour of the idea that Germanic [sp-], [st-] and [sk-] are monophonemic? In Tairezazh, the sonority hierarchy appears to be: 1) Stops and frics. 2) Nasals and liquids. 3) Vowels. Andreas

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John Cowan <jcowan@...>