Re: An Introduction to C'ali: Phonology

Quoting JS Bangs <jaspax@...>:

> Thomas R. Wier sikyal:
>
> > C'ali's consonant inventory is very similar to Phaleran in some
> > respects.
>
> Are C'ali and Phaleran related? Did you said this and I missed it?
No, they're not, but they've been coexisting alongside one another
for so long that they share quite a few characteristics with
one another.

> > C'ali never lost the distinction between alveolar and dental
> > stops /t[/ and /t/ (the former in Phaleran becoming an
> > interdental fricative).
>
> (This rather strongly implies that they are sister languages.)
Although they are not related, Phaleran acquired the distinction
between dental and alveolar stops from the substrate influence of
preexisting C'ali languages.  Later, these dental stops in Phaleran
shifted as a class to interdental fricatives or interdental
affricates.

Another point I should make about the dental stops is that they
are laminal in C'ali, not apical.

> > The only real oddity is that C'ali distinguishes between
> > aspirated and unaspirated glottalized stops;
>
> I will second Dirk in saying that I find this unlikely and nearly
> impossible to pronounce.  The best I can come is to say [t'h], with the
> aspiration distinctly after the glottal release and not directly contected
> with it.
(See my response to his post.)

> > Some phonological rules:
> >
> >  [-voice, +obstruent] --> C' / _? (i.e., becomes glottalized)
>
> Based on your comments on syllable structure, I assume that the C and the
> [?] are in different syllables, e.g. VC$?V > V$C'V (where $ marks the
> syllable boundary). Is this correct?
Right.  I should clarify that the plain voiceless stops may
also surface as codas, but only word internally.  Word finally,
only those that I mentioned in the previous post may surface
as codas.

 =========================================================================
Thomas Wier
Dept. of Linguistics  "Nihil magis praestandum est quam ne pecorum ritu
University of Chicago sequamur antecedentium gregem, pergentes non qua
1010 E. 59th Street   eundum est, sed qua itur." -- Seneca
Chicago, IL 60637