94 BUREAU OF AMEEICAN ETHNOLOGY [bdll. 40 



series are represented by stops, but mostly by surds only. In the 

 dental series alone is the sonant frequent. There are two surds of 

 this series, one quite strongly aspirated, about as much so as is 

 English i in a. stressed syllable; the other, followed by suction, 

 probably produced b}^ glottal action, has the vowel following the 

 explosion of the consonant in about half the time it does in the 

 aspirated t. In this regard it lies between the aspirated t and d. The 

 unaccustomed ear usually hears it as d, but it may easily be distin- 

 guished from that sound when the attention is directed toward its 

 sonancy which begins in d at the moment of release. On first acquaint- 

 ance with the language the sonant has been written as t by all who 

 have attempted its notation. After more practice it may be distin- 

 guished with precision, and its pronunciation only as a sonant meets 

 with the approval of the native speaker. Of the palatal series, only 

 the anterior palatals are employed before e and l sounds. When 

 these occur before a, o, and ?^, a well-defined glide is heard, which has 

 been written as i/. The posterior palatal series is articulated just 

 back of the line of the joining of the soft and hard palates. That there 

 were originally three or more representatives of this series is probable. 

 The full sonant seems to have become w. The aspirated surd has 

 become a continuant spirant x.^ There remain two sounds, one (k) 

 that has the sonancy closely following the release, and one (k) accom- 

 panied or followed by suction giving it a sharp, harsh sound usuall}^ 

 designated as fortis. The velar series is articulated very far back, 

 giving the effect of a closure against a yielding surface, and resulting 

 in a soft sound, rather difficult to distinguish as surd or sonant, 

 but probably always the former. The glottal stop (^) is most easily 

 recognized when final, for then its release is often heard. Between 

 vowels it must be detected bj" the silence enforced and by the change 

 wrought in the close of the first vowel. 

 The stops may be represented as follows: 



Glottal Velar Palatal Anterior palatal Dental Labial 



Sonant - - ~ ffi 91/ ^ ~ 



Surd ......(«) g k ^',^7/ i 



Fortis - - k t t 



The continuant consonants of Hupa comprise spirants, aft'ricatives, 

 nasals, and liquids. A glottal spirant occurs after as well as before 

 vowels. Initially it is a surd breath escaping as the glottis passes from 



'Compare Hupa tcitteswen he carried, and mcniijx- you finished, with Kato tctesgin and bcnidke-. 



§2 



