14-07-03 23:13, alex wrote:
> Glen told me once I neew a phonologie lesson and I tried to accomodate
> me with the idea.
> And I got a big problem regarding the .. labiovelars.
> I fail to see how a human mouth will change the "qW" to "p" and the "gW"
> to "b".
> I try to round the lips as a horse, but there is nothing which will
> resamble an "p" or an "b".
> It looks still like an axioma to me, but I was not able to find the
> demonstration of it.
> Any talented person who can explain this changes practicaly?
Do horses round their lips? Try slight protrusion instead, like a kiss.
It's the exaggeration of the labial component that produces a secondary
closure. The intermediate stage between [kW] and [p] may be a doubly
articulated labial-velar stop [kP] ([k] and [p] pronounced at the same
time). The development of [kP] to [p] is easy: the acoustic effect of
the bilabial closure masks that of the velar one, so that hearers
mistake an intended [kP] for [p].
Phonetic evolution does not necessarily involve changes in the
pronunciation of _individual speakers_. It need not be continuous
either. You have concentrated on articulation only, but acoustic and
auditory factors in speaker-to-hearer interaction (listening and faulty
imitation) may be more important than articulatory ones.
Piotr