The consonants tag has no wiki summary.
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98 views
Understanding Voiced Consonants
I've been having some trouble understanding how is it that what differentiates, for example, /p/ from /b/, is the vibration of the vocal chords, present in /b/, but not in /p/. From what I have read ...
4
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3answers
152 views
Why are consonants distinguished differently than vowels?
Consonants are distinguished normally by features like place of articulation, manner of articulation, voiced/voiceless, etc. while vowels are usually distingusihed by stuff like tongue's position and ...
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1answer
153 views
Is the consonant [b] always voiced across languages? What about [p]?
Is the consonant [b] always voiced across languages?
What about [p] being voiceless?
Similarly, is [k] always voiceless across languages?
Basically, I am taking what I know in English and wondering ...
4
votes
1answer
123 views
Change of B > W in casual speech
I am exploring the phonological system of Kyrgyz Language.
In casual speech people tend to change b > w when b occurs between two vowels or preceeds l, r, y and followed by vowel. Are there other ...
6
votes
0answers
80 views
Do we have the scientific theory why the click consonants were developed?
Do we have a scientific theory explaining why the click consonants were developed, and why they are used almost exclusivly in praerie regions?
I've watched a BBC documentary about the evolution of ...
7
votes
1answer
204 views
Consonant length-differences by prominence
In a language I am studying I have just noticed a significant but subtle difference in the length of [f] segments in tonic versus atonic syllables (an ~50ms difference which is statistically ...
14
votes
2answers
567 views
Where did Spanish get its /x/? Arabic influence?
Most Romance languages don't have /x/ (like the j in hijo), nor did Latin. Where did Spanish /x/ come from? Internal development, Arabic influence, or something else? Since Moroccan Arabic also has ...
2
votes
2answers
249 views
What caused some IE languages to have consonant inventory sizes different from PIE?
The WALS chapter on consonant inventories shows that the distribution of inventory sizes across languages follows a normal curve, with average size inventories (22 ± 3 consonants) being the most ...
1
vote
1answer
183 views
Systematic means of transcribing words to vowel/consontant patterns
Looking for a systematic online step-by-step process to codify English words into vowel/consontant patterns (CVC, CVCe, CVVC, etc.) and the correct sound (long-vowel, short-vowel, blend, diagraph, ...
6
votes
3answers
506 views
Can you give me some tips on how to pronounce ejective consonants?
I'll be going back to the Republic of Georgia pretty soon and will try to learn the famously difficult language but last time I was there I couldn't distinguish or reproduce the ejectives.
Everybody ...
