Re: vowels: are they necessary?
| From: | Paul Roser <pkroser@...> |
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| Date: | Wednesday, December 8, 2004, 17:29 |
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On Tue, 7 Dec 2004 18:25:19 -0500, # 1 <salut_vous_autre@...> wrote:
> I would like to know, </FONT></P>
> When a consonant is fricative or trilled, it can be continued as long we
> want. Is there any languages that has some words that are only consonants
> without vowels? A little word that is only a rolled [r], a [s], a [v],
> without the vowel releasing. It would be conceivable.
A couple of languages that have been noted in the linguistic literature for
their voweless words include the Berber languages, Tashilhayt & Tamazight
(as elsewhere noted), Nez Perce, Bella Coola (AKA Nuxalk). The African
language Lendu (AKA Balendru) also has words with syllable trills and
sibilants, and there are numerous other examples of languages with syllabic
consonants.
Most widespread seem to be syllabic nasals, laterals and trills, followed
by syllabic sibilants /s, z/, followed by other syllabic fricatives.
I've read that Tamazight even has syllabic stops, but I've never heard the
examples given, so I am suspicious at to whether they are released, in
which case I suspect that there might be an ultra-short vowel or, if
voiceless, an ultra-short voiceless vowel (similar to Shoshoni - or is it
Comanche? I forget...)
Bfowol
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