Tongue dorsum location and tongue root retraction in alveolar and palatal clicks in the endangered language N/uu

Abstract

Traill (1985) describes Xoo clicks as having velar posterior constriction locations (PCL). Miller et al. (to appear) show that the PCLs of Khoekhoe alveolar and palatal clicks are uvular and uvulo-pharyngeal. Ladefoged and Maddieson (1996) discuss clicks involving a uvular posterior release location (PRL) (and an implied velar PCL). An ultrasound investigation of velar and uvular pulmonic stops, alveolar and palatal velar clicks, and palatal uvular clicks, in the endangered language N/uu is presented. Results are for 15 repetitions of each consonant in the u context by four of the remaining speakers. The alveolar click has the tongue dorsum (TD) between the velar and uvular stops, and tongue root retraction (TRR) like the uvulars. The TD in the palatal click is also similar to the velar and uvular stops, but there is no TRR. The TD in the uvular palatal click is at the uvulo-phrayngeal location, and there is TRR similar to the uvular stop, in both the closure and the release. TRR in the alveolar-uvular and palatal-uvulo-pharyngeal clicks explains their phonological patterning with uvulars. The lack of TR retraction in the palatal click explains its patterning with velars. [Work supported by NSF, BCS ♯0236735.]