음성음운형태론연구 18집 3호 Yoon, Tae-Jin

Yoon, Tae-Jin. 2012. Laryngeal metathesis as perceptual optimization. Studies in phonetics, phonology and morphology 18.3. 413-435.

It is known that the loss or enhancement of the pre-aspiration component is motivated by weak aerodynamic/acoustic/auditory cues. The paper claims that laryngeal metathesis by which the laryngeal gestures are realized in an adjacent position is another strategy motivated by perceptual optimization. By means of the perceptual optimization, the acoustic/perceptual properties of the laryngeal feature in a less salient position is realized in a more salient position, or by means of which the acoustic/perceptual properties in a more salient position is resistant to being forced to move in a less salient position. To support the claim, the paper presents typological survey of languages that possess laryngeal metathesis. The typological survey of the languages lends support to the functional account of laryngeal metathesis. That is, given that maintaining contrasts is a means to achieve a communicative goal, laryngeal gestures positioned in a place where the acoustic/perceptual cues are hard to be recovered can be displaced to the place where the cues are more saliently manifested at the expense of linear order. (McMaster University)