MASON, TEPECANO, A PIMAN LANGUAGE OF MEXICO 317 



weak palatal spirant or a glottal constriction is not certain, probably 

 the former. It is purely surd, is never found in final position and 

 tends to disappear in combination. 



Two series of stops in three positions are normal to Tepecano. 

 These are, bilabial sonant and surd, approximating- English b and 

 p; linguo-intenleiital sonant and surd, approximating Spanish d and 

 t and linguo-palatal sonant and surd, approximating English g and k. 



The sonant stops are represented by b, d and g. Initial b is 

 weakly occluded and thus often confused with initial v. IS As 

 initial, intervocalic or as the second member of a consonantal com- 

 bination they are purely sonant. In final position the sonancy be- 

 comes very weak and short, the latter part of the occlusion and 

 the rdi -a so being entirely surd or unvoiced. The effect received is 

 little more than a bare sonant occlusion with silent release. The 

 same intermediate quality is heard to a lesser extent when a sonant 

 stop becomes the first member of a consonantal combination. To 

 such an extent is the sonant stop unvoiced in this connection that 

 during the greater part of the field work it was written, parti- 

 cularly when in final position, as surd, and generally not differen- 

 tiated from the surd stop in like position. This must be taken 

 into consideration in the use of native text where it has often been 

 impossible to establish the exact character of the final stop in any 

 given case. Such intermediate character of the sonant stop is denoted 

 by the symbols, £, />>, g. 10 



Surd stops entirely lack aspiration when initial, intervocalic or 



18 The same phenomenon is characteristic of the Spanish spoken by the lower classes 

 of Mexico. In Lower Pima (Smith, op. cit.) v and b are confused. In Opata (Lombardo, 

 op. cit.) and Cahita (Tellechea, op. cit.) the difference is said to be as in good Castilian- 



1 a Kroeber (Dolores, op. cit.) writes in Papago but one set of stops varying iu quality 

 according to position. Nevertheless, he notes (p. 243) that a difference undoubtedly 

 obtains. Initial sonant and surd stops appear to be only slightly differentiated in Papago 

 but Dolores has unwitlingly distinguished between sonant and surd final stops by regu- 

 larly preceding the latter by aspirate h, leaving the sonant stop represented by the bare 

 surd sign. Russell gives only d as purely sonant in Upper Pima, g (inverted) and Id as 

 intermediate, but all three positions as surd and aspirate, — four classes, doubtless an 

 unwarranted distinction. Lower Pima distinguishes sonant and surd stops as does Rinal- 

 dini in Tepehuano. though he tends to confuse them. Lumholtz writes both in Northern 

 and Southern Tepehuane and Tepecano and Htdlicka does the same for the latter two. 

 Among the other Piman languages the surds are uniformly noted, but the sonants va- 

 riantly. Opata and Heve are written with the sonant stops b, d, g ; iu Cahita and Cora 

 b is the only sonant stop noted ; (Lumholtz writes d, g also). Sonant stops are entirely 

 omitted in writing Huichol. Tellechea writes b and g but no d in Tarahumare, Lumholtz 



