Rhotics, was Re: Chinese Dialect Question

In a message dated 10/2/2003 12:53:17 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
gwalla@DESPAMMED.COM writes:


>JS Bangs wrote:
>> Mark J. Reed sikyal:
>>
>> Furthermore, most languages have exactly one rhotic
>Is this a universal, or are there some languages with more than one?

According to RMW Dixon in _Australian Languages_:

"Almost all [Australian] languages have two rhotics (or r-sounds), one
articulated relatively forward in the mouth and pronounced as a trill or tap or flap
(written 'rr') and the other articulated further back, generally pronounced
as a semi-retroflex continuant, but sometimes as a tap (written 'r').  Some
[Australian] languages have just one rhotic and a number have three. . ."

Doug