Re: Phonetic contrast between lenis unvoiced and lenis voiced?

On Oct 16, 1:06 pm, "ranjit_math...@xxxxxxxxx"
<ranjit_math...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

It looks like a better term than lenis unvoiced is tenuis.

But then, Armenian stops are a pain in the behind anyway.

Malayalam might be a bigger pain for learners of the high register
because pronunciation depends on etymology.

The pronunciation of intervocalic p's, depending of etymology:
lenis Dravidian /p/ -> [b] VOT <15ms
tenuis Sanskrit /p/-> [p] VOT ~25ms
fortis English /p/-> [p] VOT ~45ms
aspirated Sanskrit /ph/ -> [p<h>] VOT ~80ms

If those all contrast, then there are four phonemes and etymology is
irrelevant. (Explanatory, but irrelevant for the speaker, cf.
amygdala.)
.

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