Re: OT: Syllable structure in Georgian (was Re: sorta OT: cases, please help...)

> Date:         Fri, 7 Dec 2001 00:30:53 -0600
> From: "Thomas R. Wier" <trwier@...>
>
> Quoting laokou <laokou@...>:
> > From: "Thomas R. Wier"
> > > Speaking of syllable structure, is there any language out there that
> > > beats Georgian's EIGHT consonants in an onset?
> > >
> > >   gvprckvnis = "He is fleecing"
> >
> > Okay, I'll bite. How is this pronounced? Is "r" vocalic? Minimal
> > pairs?
>
> The short answer is:  there's no real professional data to
> answer that question.  What seems clear is that when /v/
> follows consonants in onsets, its only function appears to
> be to labialize them, having no strong realization itself.
> I suspect that the other main peak of sonority in the "onset",
> the /r/, which is IIRC a uvular trill, probably functions,
> in effect, as a syllable nucleus. This would make my
> question a trick question, I suppose.
There was a reference on the list a few weeks back to a site that had
sound clips of a native Georgian pronouncing a word of similar
scariness. Listening to that, there were clearly peaks of sonority
around orthographic -r-'s.

On the other hand, a year back or so we had someone who had done
professional work on Georgian swearing up and down that there's only
one vocalic segment in a word like that, and therefore only one
syllable.

(Sorry for the vague citations).

> [Paraphrased: A sonority peak is a syllable nucleus if you want it
> to be].
It seems so.

Lars Mathiesen (U of Copenhagen CS Dep) <thorinn@...> (Humour NOT marked)