3 ms·
This is the reason I’m not fully convinced by Baxter and Sagart’s reconstruction of pharyngealized consonants everywhere: it’s just too weird. In languages like
by canjobear 5y ago
This is the reason I’m not fully convinced by Baxter and Sagart’s reconstruction of pharyngealized consonants everywhere: it’s just too weird. In languages like Arabic that do have pharyngealization, it doesn’t apply to every consonant like in the BS2014 reconstruction. Still, I don’t see a better way to explain the Type A / Type B distinction…
- bradrn 5y agoWell, Sino–Tibetan is one of the only places I would expect to see pharyngealisation in the first place. I can easily imagine a scenario in which vowels had a uvularisation or pharyngealisation contrast, which then was transphonologised onto the previous consonant. But I don’t know too much about Chinese languages, so until another explanation comes along I can only accept Baxter and Sagart’s conclusion.