Laryngealized vowels and laryngealized consonants in the history of the Totonacan languages of Mexico

Abstract

The paper argues that Papantla Totonac has lost the original contrast between modal and laryngealized vowels after sonorants and thus developed a system of plain and glottalized stops, affricates and sibilants from the original system of modal and laryngealized vowels. Similarly, Misantla Totonac lost the contrast between modal and laryngealized vowels after sibilants, which resulted in a system of plain and glottalized stops, affricates and sonorants. These sound changes can be explained as being due to different mechanisms of glottalization regarding three classes of consonants — stops, sonorants and sibilants. Apapantilla Totonac and Zapotitlán de Méndez Totonac remain conservative in their treatment of the original Proto-Totonacan laryngealized vowels.