Re: [tied] Thoughts on language evolution

Tocharian keeps distinctions of mode-of-articulation in the series of
dentals while giving them up with labials and velars. Something of the
sort underlies the Linear B *script*. That resembles what you are
addressing at least a little bit, but I can't figure out what exactly you
are driving at.

Jens

On Thu, 23 Jan 2003, Glen Gordon wrote:

>
> This is gonna sound like a weird question and you'll all
> be wondering what gLeNny is up to but here it goes.
>
>
> Let's hypothesize that you have a language with stops that
> contrast between aspirated and non-aspirated. Let's say
> that the language evolves over time such that aspirated
> and non-aspirated stops merge together as non-aspirated
> stops *p, *t, and *k in initial position only. The aspiration
> contrast remains medially.
>
> Let's also say that this merger takes place only for initial
> _velar_ and _labial_ stops while a distinction between *t- and
> *tH- remains.
>
> Is this typologically credible? If not, how might such
> an idea be modified so that it is more plausible?
>
>
> - gLeN
>
>
>
>
>
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