How do voiced retroflex stops evolve? Evidence from typology and an articulatory study
- The present article illustrates that the specific articulatory and aerodynamic requirements for voiced but not voiceless alveolar or dental stops can cause tongue tip retraction and tongue mid lowering and thus retroflexion of front coronals. This retroflexion is shown to have occurred diachronically in the three typologically unrelated languages Dhao (Malayo-Polynesian), Thulung (Sino-Tibetan), and Afar (East-Cushitic). In addition to the diachronic cases, we provide synchronic data for retroflexion from an articulatory study with four speakers of German, a language usually described as having alveolar stops. With these combined data we supply evidence that voiced retroflex stops (as the only retroflex segments in a language) did not necessarily emerge from implosives, as argued by Haudricourt (1950), Greenberg (1970), Bhat (1973), and Ohala (1983). Instead, we propose that the voiced front coronal plosive /d/ is generally articulated in a way that favours retroflexion, that is, with a smaller and more retracted place of articulation and a lower tongue and jaw position than /t/.
Author: | Silke HamannORCiDGND, Susanne Fuchs |
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URN: | urn:nbn:de:hebis:30-1133528 |
ISSN: | 0947-7055 |
ISSN: | 1435-9588 |
Parent Title (English): | ZAS papers in linguistics |
Publisher: | Zentrum für Allgemeine Sprachwissenschaft, Typologie und Universalienforschung |
Place of publication: | Berlin |
Document Type: | Article |
Language: | English |
Year of Completion: | 2008 |
Year of first Publication: | 2008 |
Publishing Institution: | Universitätsbibliothek Johann Christian Senckenberg |
Release Date: | 2009/10/01 |
GND Keyword: | Phonetik; Retroflex |
Volume: | 49 |
Page Number: | 35 |
First Page: | 97 |
Last Page: | 131 |
Source: | http://user.phil-fak.uni-duesseldorf.de/~hamann/HamannFuchs2008.pdf ; (in:) Marzena Zygis, Susanne Fuchs: ZAS Papers in Linguistics. - Berlin: 49, 2008, S. 97-131 |
HeBIS-PPN: | 218955804 |
Institutes: | keine Angabe Fachbereich / Extern |
Dewey Decimal Classification: | 4 Sprache / 40 Sprache / 400 Sprache |
Sammlungen: | Linguistik |
Linguistik-Klassifikation: | Linguistik-Klassifikation: Phonetik/Phonologie / Phonetics/Phonology |
Licence (German): | ![]() |