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Re: Linguistic Terminology

From:Christophe Grandsire <tsela_cg@...>
Date:Tuesday, January 5, 1999, 7:11
>Kristian Jensen wrote: >> I suspect that this is merely a transcription practice. Anything >> aspirated would be transcribed as /p/t/k/ and anything unaspirated >> as /b/d/g/. Voicing has little to do with the transcription. > >/b/ /d/ and /g/ are always voiced. An unaspirated stop is /p/, >aspirated is /p_h/. [b], [p], and [p_h] all exist in English. [p] and >[p_h] are allophones of /p/, while [b] is its own phoneme, /b/. > >> Actually, IMHO, the term 'voiced' and 'unvoiced' is pretty >> misleading because it gives the impression that its a binary feature >> when in fact there is a pretty broad spectrum from creaky voiced to >> modal voice to unvoice (there are several other kinds of voicing in >> between these three). > >There's also breathy voice. However, I don't think that "voiced" and >"unvoiced" are in any way misleading - they are the main phonations >throughout the world, and many languages contain only them (and I know >of none that contains only one of those), so it makes sense, in my
Some Polynesian languages have only unvoiced consonnants, and no other order. mind,
>to distinguish primarily between them. Besides, they are voiced and >unvoiced, if you wish, they could be called "simple voiced" and "simple >voiceless" to distinguish between them and creaky or breathy voices. > >> I suspect that in John's dialect, initial /d/ >> is in fact something called 'slack voice' (something between modal >> voice and voiceless). > >I have never encountered this term before, what does it mean, and how >can it be *between* voice and voiceless? The vocal cords either
vibrate
>(as in voiced and creaky voice) or don't (as in voiceless or breathy >voice). > >-- >"Cats are rather delicate creatures and they are subject to a good many >ailments, but I never heard of one who suffered from insomnia." -- >Joseph Wood Krutch >http://members.tripod.com/~Nik_Taylor/X-Files/ >ICQ #: 18656696 >AOL screen-name: NikTailor >
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