Haskins Publications

Number	230
Year	1977
Drawer	4
Entry Date	06/03/1999
Authors	Lisker, L.
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Publication	Phonetica, 34, 304-306.
url	http://www.haskins.yale.edu/Reprints/HL0230.pdf
Abstract	Although initial investigation of the larynx suggested that it was a simple on-off voicing apparatus, its use in languages outside the IE family shows that it has more complex functions. Closure duration for both voiceless & voiced stops seems to be longer than necessary, raising the question of how air flow is maintained during this extended closure. Supraglottal cavity enlargement may account for it, but the specifics involved are not clear: such changes seem to be inconsistent, & whether they should be associated with either voiced or voiceless stops is uncertain. If supraglottal enlargement is indeed an 'either-or' situation, then laryngeal changes may be redundant, & the notion of strict economy of articulatory effort must be reexamined.
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