LINGUIST List 15.1681

Mon May 31 2004

Qs: Ling Database Software; Consonant Devoicing

Editor for this issue: Andrea Berez <andrealinguistlist.org>

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Directory

  • Steven Moran, Linguistic Database Software
  • Yuri Tambovtsev, Devoicing of Consonants

    Message 1: Linguistic Database Software

     Date: Thu, 27 May 2004 15:43:41 -0400 (EDT)
    From: Steven Moran <stevelinguistlist.org>
    Subject: Linguistic Database Software


    Dear Listers,

    In order to do as extensive a review of linguistic database software as possible, we would like to query the linguistic community regarding which software field linguists (and language researchers) use, and why.

    Please send us an email listing the database software you have tried or the software you prefer to use. If you could also provide the criteria you find essential for linguistic databasing, we would truly appreciate it.

    Please send your responses to: stevelinguistlist.org

    A summary will be posted to the list.

    Thank you,

    Marisa Ferrara & Steven Moran The LINGUIST List E-MELD

    Message 2: Devoicing of Consonants

     Date: Sat, 29 May 2004 15:27:51 +0600
    From: Yuri Tambovtsev <yutambmail.cis.ru>
    Subject: Devoicing of Consonants


    Dear Linguistlist colleagues,

    Many of you are working with different phonetic laws, old and new, in different languages of the world, so you may know. I'm interested in devoicing of consonants at the end of the word, not only in Slavonic, but all world languages. It looks like devoicing does not depend on the language family since in the same language family there are languages with and without devoicing. Even in language groups, which are smaller language taxons, there may be languages with and without devoicing at the end of the word: e.g. in the Germanic group of the Indo-European language family - in German there is devoicing, but in English there is no devoicing. In the Slavonic group of the Indo-European family: devoicing in Russian, Belorussian, Czech, Slovak, Polish, Bulgarian, Macedonian and Slovene, but no devoicing in Serbian, Croatian, Old Russian or Ukrainian. I wonder if devoicing is the new tendency in languages or on the contrary, the old phonetic law? Was there devoicing at the end of words in Old Greek, Latin, Hebrew, old Persian, Sanscrit, old Turkic, etc?

    Looking forward to your opinions to yutambhotmail.com

    Be well! Remain yours most respectfully

    Yuri Tambovtsev