Article published in:
Functional-Historical Approaches to Explanation: In honor of Scott DeLanceyEdited by Tim Thornes, Erik Andvik, Gwendolyn Hyslop and Joana Jansen
[Typological Studies in Language 103] 2013
► pp. 83–104
The dinguist’s dilemma
Regular and sporadic l/d interchange in Sino-Tibetan and elsewhere
James A. Matisoff | University of California, Berkeley
This paper explores interactions between the lateral liquid l and the voiced stop d (with parenthetical remarks about n and t as well) in a variety of language families, especially Sino-Tibetan/Tibeto-Burman. These apical sounds participate both in synchronic patterns of variation and in diachronic patterns of sound change. Sometimes changes of *l > d or *d > l seem quite regular, as e.g. in the passage from Old to Middle Chinese. More often perhaps, these changes appear sporadic. Recognition of l >< d alternations in ST/TB permits the refinement of several etymologies. The phonetic similarity between these sounds accounts for the fact that they interact with such frequency in languages all over the world. Di gantse velt shteyt oyf der shpits tsung. (Yiddish proverb)
Published online: 25 July 2013
https://doi.org/10.1075/tsl.103.05mat
https://doi.org/10.1075/tsl.103.05mat