Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 1 no. 113 November 26, 1991 1) Nasality (Aren Abramson) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 25 Nov 91 15:46:53 EST From: Aren Abramson Subject: RE: Mendele Vol 1.107 Berl Hoberman's remarks on the possible sources of nasality in Yiddish words from Hebrew sources spelled with 'ayin, are interesting.The articulatory gestures of tongue-backing and epiglottis-tilting are indeed what were found in the studies alluded to in my last message on pharyngeal fricatives, the work by Asher Laufer & Iovanna Condax and by ElHalees of Jordan. To go on and say that adding to this, or replacing it by, a gesture of velum-lowering for nasality is a "gesture not articulatorily too different" is another kettle of fish. The muscles used for the gestures mentioned are not central to the opening of the velo-pharyngeal port for nasal coupling. A major mechanism is relaxation of the levator palatini muscle needed to allow the velum to fall. Other muscles have been implicated, so it is possible that the pharyngeal constrictors could be involved, at least concomitantly, in both kinds of movements, but they do not act alone in these matters. In addition, although the manifold manifestations of Arabic show some variation, especially in the voiced paryngeal fricative (see, e.g., work by Janet May), I do not know of the rise of nasal consonants and vowels as replexes of this Semitic consonant in any dialect of Arabic. If biblical Hebrew and Old Arabic had the same kind of consonant, might we not expect, should there indeed by a plausible physiological phonetic link, to see similar developments in Arabic? Of course, aside from the Yiddish question, one would want to know why certain varieties of Sephardic Hebrew took on nasality in such words. (Of course, if someone knows of such a development in Arabic or another Semitic language, that will have to be considered.) Aren ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol 1.113