The Phonetics and Phonology of Non-modal Vowels: A Cross-Linguistic Perspective

This paper provides phonetic explanations for a number of asymmetries in the distribution of non-modal voiced and modal voiced vowels found in a typology of over 50 languages with non-modal vowels. The distribution of non-modal vowels cross-linguistically is argued to result from the conflicting demands of perceptual salience and articulatory ease; this conflict can be formally modeled in an constraint-based grammar.

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