The fortis/lenis question: evidence from Zapotec and Jawoñ

Abstract

The terms “fortis/lenis” and “force of articulation” are controversial, as linguists disagree about both their definition and their validity. Languages such as Yateé Zapotec (spoken in Oaxaca, Mexico) and Jawoñ (spoken in Arnhem Land, Australia), in which a difference in voice onset time is not a reliable cue in the main consonantal contrast, have been called “fortis/lenis” languages. An analysis of some of the phonetic properties involved in these two languages reveal that the “fortis” consonants are long, voiceless, and have high intensity noise, while the “lenis” are short, fluctuate in both voicing and in closure width, and have lower intensity noise. However, it is argued that the independently controlled variables are the timing of articulator gestures and glottal width, so that the terms “fortis/lenis”, implying intentional variation of “force of articulation”, are not a phoneticaly accurate characterization of this contrast.