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Explaining final obstruent voicing in Lezgian: Phonetics and history
- Language
- Linguistic Society of America
- Volume 80, Number 1, March 2004
- pp. 73-97
- 10.1353/lan.2004.0049
- Article
- Additional Information
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In Lezgian, a Nakh-Daghestanian language, final and preconsonantal ejectives and voiceless unaspirated obstruents are voiced in certain monosyllabic nouns. This article offers acoustic evidence confirming that the two coda-voicing series are indeed voiced in final position. Based on comparative evidence, it is demonstrated that this phonetically aberrant neutralization pattern is the result of a series of phonetically natural sound changes. Such ‘crazy rules’ () undermine any direct phonetic licensing approach to phonology, such as licensing by cue ().