Positional Neutralization - Linguistics - University of California ...

Another direction might explore the qualitative issues, in particular the perceptual effects
of the laxing short high vowels often undergo, presumably to keep them distinct from the
long high vowels in the event of shorter phonetic realizations for these latter. The
vulnerability of -ATR high vowels in ATR systems may be of relevance here as well.
The generalization, in any event, is clear: While UVR systems eliminating height
contrasts from unstressed syllables are abundant throughout the languages of the world,
systems of UVR eliminating contrasts in palatality, rounding, or ATR/RTR or
Pharyngealization in a reduction equivalent to the commonly attested harmony systems
appear to be completely unattested. While the list of height-neutralizing systems is
obviously in no way meant to be exhaustive, the list of potential exceptions is. A central
claim of this chapter is that this hole in the typology is no accidental gap, but rather
follows from the phonetic characteristics of UVR systems in a manner consistent with the
phonologization approach to typological patterns. Details follow in 2.2.
2.1.2. Nasalization
Another contrast found neutralized in unstressed syllables is vowel nasalization.
In Copala Trique, for example, nasal and oral vowels contrast only in the stressed syllable
(Hollenbach 1977, Steriade 1994). The same is true in Guarani (Beckman 1998: 158).
Reduced durations in unstressed syllables may go some way toward explaining the
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