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Periodical article | Leiden University catalogue | WorldCat |
Title: | The Fortis-Lenis contrast in West African languages |
Author: | Gerhardt, Ludwig |
Year: | 1980 |
Periodical: | Afrika und Übersee: Sprachen, Kulturen |
Volume: | 63 |
Issue: | 2 |
Pages: | 207-217 |
Language: | English |
Geographic term: | West Africa |
Subjects: | phonology African languages |
Abstract: | The author discusses the contrast between fortis and lenis consonants which plays an important role in the phonological systems of some West African languages, but which has been lost - or, at least, is of no relevance - in other contemporary languages or language groups. Before entering the comparative aspect of the problem the author briefly describes the phonetic characteristics of the sounds in question. Lit., notes, tab.: 1. Fortis and lenis sounds in Proto-Edoid (Elugbe 1973); 2. Fortis consonants as reflex of class prefix cl. 9/10; 3. Bifferent reflexes of Proto-Plateau -s in Plateau 2; 4 Different reflexes of Proto-Bantu phonological units in Tu-Nen (A. 44); 5. Different reflexes in Mbe (Nigerian Bantu); 6. Pre-Bantu lenis consonants an their correspondences in other West African language groups; Differences in Plateau reconstructions indicating an earlier fortis-lenis contrast; 8. Lenis-sounds in Pre-Bantu reconstruction and in Plateau; 9. Irregularities in the formation of plural verb stems in Zarek. |