Trends

in Consonant Development

Questionnaire

Organizers:
Mahé BEN HAMED1, Jean-Marie Hombert1, Gérard Philippson1,2 and Ian Maddieson 3
1Laboratoire Dynamique du Langage, Lyon, France
2INALCO, Paris, France
3University of California, Berkeley, USA

Please return to :
Mahé BEN HAMED
Laboratoire Dynamique du Langage
Institut des Sciences de l'homme
14, avenue Berthelot 69363 Lyon Cedex 07 France
Purpose:
Our purpose is to compile views on the major tendencies for consonant development, as observed
independently by various experts and on various linguistic domains. Such a knowledge database would be useful to
cross-validate impressions on diachronic universals and to initiate the formalization of diachronic processes. This
poll complements a more ambitious ongoing project for determining diachronic universals from a database of
reported phonological changes.
It takes only a few minutes to complete this questionnaire (18 questions), and as a contributor, you will have
full access to the data gathered through this operation.
Presentation of the questionnaire:
This form lists phonetically likely changes for the most common consonants and invites you to select those
changes which are, in your view, the most frequent. For each case, you can add any information you find relevant,
such as the context and the intermedite stages in the case of sequential changes. The transciption used follows the
IPA.
Following is a detailed example of how the questionnaire works. Let's consider the evolution of n. We suggest two
types of changes ([n to ŋ] and the loss of n [n to zero]).

   

other

You may want to specify that the change [n to ŋ] is frequent but only word-finally, whereas the [n to zero] change
is frequent syllable-finall if n is preceeded by a vowel which will becomes nasalized.

   

other

If you have another type of change to mention, check the option "other" and specify the change in the text box.
At the end of each section, you can add any comment you have about the evolution of the class of sounds
considered which could not fit in the specific questionnaire. For exemple, you may want to mention that when
nasals are very stable word-initially.
Additional comments about the evolution of sonorants
(please enter descriptions of the segments, not symbols)

Two pages are provided at the end of this handout in case more space is needed for comments. When using this
extra space, please give a clear reference to the part of the questionnaire concerned.
Please do not use linguistic fonts, but rather a description in words.
example: voiced bilabial implosive instead of 

If you agree to participate, please proceed to the next page. We are grateful for your
contribution and your time.
Page 1/13
How to proceed:
The questionnaire is in 3 sections (18 questions) : the first on the development of plosives, the second on the
development of fricatives and the third on sonorants. Please send it back to:

Mahé BEN HAMED

Laboratoire Dynamique du Langage
Institut des Sciences de l'homme
14, avenue Berthelot 69363 Lyon Cedex 07 France

Before you start filling out the questionnaire, please enter your contact informations so we can keep you
posted.

Contributor's contact informations

Name:

Affiliation:

Email:

Languages you have worked on:

Proceed to Step 1 : Plosives Page 2/13

 Plosives 1/4
Questionnaire

The transcription used is IPA.

You can check more than one option.

Step 1: Plosives

   

 

 zero

other

   

Page 3/13
 Plosives 2/4

   
(Continued)

 

other

   

 

 

Page 4/13
 Plosives 3/4

   zero
(Continued)

other

   

 other

   

 other

Page 5/13
 Plosives 4/4

   

 

other

   

 other

Additional comments about the evolution of plosives

(please enter descriptions of the segments, not symbols)

Proceed to Step 2 : Fricatives Page 6/13

 Fricatives 1/2
Step 2: Fricatives

   

other

   

 

other

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 Fricatives 2/2

   

other

   zero

other

Additional comments about the evolution of fricatives

(please enter descriptions of the segments, not symbols)

Proceed to Step 3 : Sonorants Page 8/13

 Sonorants 1/3
Step 3: Sonorants
Glides

   

 other

   

 other

Nasals

   

other

Page 9/13
 Sonorants 2/3
Nasals (continued)

   

other

   

other

Laterals

   

 other

Page 10/13
 Sonorants 3/3
Laterals (continued)

   

 other

Additional comments about the evolution of sonorants

(please enter descriptions of the segments, not symbols)

General comments and suggestions to improve this questionnaire

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