Ballistic syllable
{{Short description|Phonemic distinction}}
{{primary sources|date=August 2015}}
Ballistic syllables are a phonemic distinction in Otomanguean languages: Chinantec and Amuzgo. They have been described as characterized with increased sub-glottal pressure (Mugele 1982) or laryngeal abduction (Silverman 1994). The acoustic effect is a fortis release of the consonant, a gradual surge in the intensity of the vowel, followed by a rapid decay in intensity into post-vocalic aspiration. They may thus be a form of phonation.
Non-ballistic syllables are, by contrast, called "controlled."
See Chinantec of Ozumacín for examples.
References
- {{Cite thesis |last=Mugele |first=Robert Louis |title=Tone and Ballistic Syllables in Lalana Chinantec |degree=Ph.D. |publisher=University of Texas |location=Austin |year=1982}}
- {{Cite journal |last=Silverman |first=Daniel |date=1994 |title=A Case Study in Acoustic Transparency: [spread glottis] and Tone in Chinantec |url=https://scholarworks.umass.edu/nels/vol24/iss2/14/ |journal=North East Linguistics Society |location=Amherst |publisher=University of Massachusetts |volume=24 |issue=2 |article-number=14}}
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