Ejective stops in Hittite: evidence for a phonemic length distinction

In this article, it is argued that Hittite did not only possess a series of long ejective stops, as has previously been proposed, but that it also knew a series of short ejective stops. In this way, the Hittite stop system can be analysed as consisting of two types of stops, plain and ejective ones,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies 2022-06, Vol.85 (2), p.149-163
Main Author: Kloekhorst, Alwin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Hittite
Phonemics
Phonology
Spelling
Stops
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Summary:In this article, it is argued that Hittite did not only possess a series of long ejective stops, as has previously been proposed, but that it also knew a series of short ejective stops. In this way, the Hittite stop system can be analysed as consisting of two types of stops, plain and ejective ones, with both types showing a length opposition: plain short /t/ vs. plain long /tː/, and ejective short /t’/ vs. ejective long /t’ː/.
ISSN:0041-977X
1474-0699
DOI:10.1017/S0041977X2200060X