Abstract
The set of speech sounds known to be used in human languages continues to grow ever larger as more information becomes available on previously under-documented languages. In addition, the range of contrastive distinctions known to be employed continues to be enlarged. A brief survey of categories of sounds that have been added to phonetic typology as a result of work on such languages will be presented, followed by exemplification of the specific case of Yélî Dnye (ISO 693 yle). This language, spoken on Rossel Island, Papua New Guinea by about 3000 people, has large contrastive inventories of both consonants and vowels (58 consonants, 34 vowels). It is the only language known to include sets of doubly articulated labial-alveolar and labial-postalveolar plosives and nasals in its inventory (in addition to the more widespread category of labial-velars). Moreover, the stops contrast plain, prenasalized and nasally released categories, and some of them occur distinctively palatalized. Thus, there are at least nine consonant types not known from any other language. Yélî Dnye is also the only language known to have a contrast between oral and nasalized vowels following nasally released stops. Our knowledge of this language therefore enlarges our perspective on how human languages may differ.
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