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Proto-Austronesian *j Once Again
- Oceanic Linguistics
- University of Hawai'i Press
- Volume 63, Number 2, December 2024
- pp. 319-337
- 10.1353/ol.2024.a946247
- Article
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Abstract:
The phonetic value of Proto-Austronesian *j is a difficult area of research, with a range of proposed reconstructions such as [ɡ], [ɡʲ], [ɟ], [ɣʲ], [ʝ], and more recently, [ɲʲ]. In this paper, yet another proposal for Proto-Austronesian *j is made, this time focusing on mergers, or lack of mergers, to determine both the most likely reconstructed value of *j and the likely sound change paths taken by *j as it evolved to its various reflexes. Based on these considerations, it is proposed that *j was a voiced sonorant palatal consonant, specifically a palatal lateral, [ʎ].