Vreleksá

eldin raigmore

I just read an article and here are some of the things I think it said.

More languages don't allow consonants as syllable-nuclei than do, but they're not as rare as you might think; about 47% of languages do allow at least a few syllables with a consonant for nucleus.

Syllabic consonants are diachronically transitory. There are several ways the syllable can change so that its nucleus is no longer a consonant. Here are some of them (I don't know if there are more):
The nuclear consonant can just become a vowel without otherwise changing much; for instance a [j] can become a [ i] or a [w] can become a [ u].
The nuclear consonant can just disappear.
An epenthetic vowel can be inserted in the syllable next to the nuclear consonant; then the epenthetic vowel becomes the new nucleus, and the formerly nuclear consonant becomes the last consonant of the onset or the first consonant of the coda.
The syllable can cease to be a separate syllable; the nuclear consonant can cease to be nuclear, and join the onset of the next syllable or the coda of the previous syllable.

Syllables with consonantal nuclei are much likelier to be in particles and grammatical-function words than in lexical-content words. Some languages allow such syllables only in particles and grammatical-function words; not in semantic-content words.

In semantic-content words, syllables with consonantal nuclei are much likelier to be in affixes than in roots. Some languages allow such syllables only in affixes; never in roots. (Is English one of these?)

Syllables with consonantal nuclei are likelier to be the first or last syllable of a word than to be word-medial. Some languages don't allow word-medial syllables to have consonantal nuclei (though they do allow first or last syllables to have them).

Syllables with consonantal nuclei are likelier to be unstressed than stressed. Some languages (e.g. English) don't allow stressed syllables with consonantal nuclei.

Syllables with consonantal nuclei are not likely to have consonant-clusters for onsets. Some languages don't allow a syllable with an onset cluster and a consonantal nucleus. Some languages don't allow a syllable with a consonantal nucleus to have an onset at all.

Syllables with consonantal nuclei are not likely to have consonant-clusters for codas. Some languages don't allow a syllable with a coda cluster and a consonantal nucleus. Some languages don't allow a syllable with a consonantal nucleus to have a coda at all.

Syllables with consonantal nuclei are somewhat less likely to have both an onset and a coda. Some languages don't allow a syllable with both an onset and a coda to have a consonantal nucleus. Some don't allow a consonantal nucleus with a coda. Some don't allow a consonantal nucleus with an onset.

Nasals are the most common syllabic consonants.
(English "rhythm", "chasm", "button").
Liquids are next.
(English "portable", "butter").

Among languages with with syllabic consonants, about 57% only have nasals and/or liquids as syllabic consonants. Among languages with syllabic obstruents, about 75% also have syllabic resonants.

Among languages with syllabic obstruents, more than half have syllabic continuants but not syllabic stops. Among languages with syllabic stops, more than half also have syllabic fricatives.

Taps and flaps are never (or almost never?) syllabic nuclei.

The most common diachronic ways for a syllabic consonant to form are
[mu-] --> [m=-]
and
[-um] --> [-m=].

Another common way is
[C1VC2] --> [C1=C2]
or
[C1VC2] --> [C1C2=]
when C1 and C2 are homorganic, or, better, identical. An example in English is
["pr\`ob@bli] --> ["pr\`ob=bli]

In general most syllabic consonants become syllabic because the nuclear vowel of their syllable is lost but the syllable remains a syllable, so the "nuclear" duty is inherited by one of the consonants.

Most syllabic nasals are homorganic with the previous or next consonant. A possibility might be
["{lb@m] --> ["{lbm=]
(or maybe not?)
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langover94 · Joined: 21 Aug 2007 Posts: 509 Location: USA

Hmm... Never knew that! Thanks for sharing
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eldin raigmore · Posted: Sat Nov 15, 2008 6:55 pm Post subject: