AN ACOUSTIC STUDY OF PLAIN AND PALATALIZED SIBILANTS IN OCOTEPEC MIXE

Silke Hamann1 & Heriberto Avelino2
1Utrecht University; 2Berkeley University

ID 1665
[full paper]

In Totontepec Mixe, the stem-initial sibilants /s \texttoptiebar{ts} ʂ/ undergo a palatalization process when the prefix /j/ is added. Earlier descriptions report that this palatalization is realized either as addition of a glide (in the case of the alveolar and retroflex sibilants) or as a change in the primary place of articulation (in the case of the affricate). The acoustic measurements in the present study indicate that all palatalized sibilants have undergone secondary palatalization (they have an additional glide), and that only the retroflex segments show a consistent change in primary place of articulation.