Abstract
The general observation [e.g., Bell-Berti, Stat. Rep: Speech Res., Haskins Labs., 46 (1980)] that velum height decreases as articulatory constriction decreases is examined in the context of pharyngeal and glottal obstruents in Arabic and Kurdish. Investigated by transillumination of the velopharyngeal port, these consonants are seen to be always produced with a substantial velopharyngeal opening. Moreover, the “nasality” exhibits a coarticulatory spread to adjacent vowels. A deductive account of consonant features could use considerations of articulatory synergy and biological bias to predict such findings, in particular the requirement that /ħ ʕ h/ should be specified as [+ nasal]. In addition, such an account might predict that for reasons of perceptual sufficiency the temporal spread of velopharyngeal opening from a pharyngeal or glottal consonant would be less extensive than from a nasal consonant. This is in fact shown to be the case.
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