Query Details
| Query Subject: |
Query re syllabic consonants
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| Author: | Zoe Toft |
| Submitter Email: | click here to access email |
| Query: |
Dear all, I am a PhD student at the school of Oriental and African Studies in London, UK and am looking for references on languages with so called syllabic consonants. Bell (1978) cites 85 languages with syllabic consonants but some of his original sources have been liberally interpreted for inclusion in this category and very few provide any sort of phonetic data (which is no surprising given the age of many of his sources). Therefore I am trying to update his database and would appreciate your input. Blevins (1995:220) provides a table on the parametric variation in syllabic segments, ranging from Kabardian, which only allows non high vowels as syllabic segments, to Imdlawn Tashlhiyt Berber which allows all types of segments, including fricatives and stops, to be syllabic segments. I would like to find more examples for inclusion in her table: Do you know of languages which allow for rhotic but not lateral or nasal sonorants as syllabic constituents (cf Sanskrit)? Or languages which allow for fricative syllabic consonants, but not stops (cf Dakelh/Carrier)?. I would be particularly interested to hear of a language where voicing plays a role in the potential of a segment to be syllabic: if we accept a general version of the sonority hierarchy (e.g. Katamba 1989:104), voiced segments are more sonorant than voiceless ones and thus one could conceive of a language which, for example, allows voiced fricative syllabic stops but not voiceless ones. Please send suggestions and references to me at: 109299@soas.ac.uk If there is interest I will post a summary on the list. Many thanks, Zoe Tof Bell, A. (1978) Syllabic consonants. In Greenberg, J. (Ed.) Universals of Human Language. pp 153-201 Blevins, J. (1995) The Syllable in Phonological Theory. In Goldsmith, J. The Handbook of Phonological Theory. pp 206-244 Katamba, F. (1989) An Introduction to Phonology. |
