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Chapter 6 - Germanic Laryngeal Phonetics and Phonology

from Part I - Phonology

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 March 2020

By
Joseph Salmons
Edited by
Michael T. Putnam  and
B. Richard Page
Michael T. Putnam
Affiliation:
Pennsylvania State University
B. Richard Page
Affiliation:
Pennsylvania State University
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Summary

Drawing from a wide range of standard and nonstandard Germanic varieties past and present, this chapter examines the contrast between sounds traditionally written as <p, t, k, f, s> etc. and those written as <b, d, g, v, z>, etc. Following ‘Laryngeal Realism’, two main systems within Germanic are identified: [spread glottis] or Glottal Width languages like Icelandic, German and English on the one hand and [voice] or Glottal Tension languages like Dutch, Frisian and Yiddish on the other. The two differ phonetically — notably by aspiration of /p, t, k/ in the former and robust glottal pulsing of /b, d, g/ in the latter — but more importantly in terms of phonological activity. For instance, [spread] languages show progressive laryngeal assimilation while [voice] ones show regressive assimilation. Both types can neutralize the distinction in coda or word-final position. A few Germanic varieties have lost a laryngeal distinction and others have transformed the distinction into a contrast based on length.

Keywords

laryngeal featuresphonological activityaspirationvoicingprivativityassimilationneutralization
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Handbook of Germanic Linguistics , pp. 119 - 142
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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