BOAS] HANDBOOK OF AMERICAN INDIAN LANGUAGES 429 



PHONETICS (§§ 2-4) 

 § 2. Sounds 



The phonetic system of the Kwakiutl is very rich. It abounds in 

 sounds of the Ic series and of the I series. The system of consonants 

 includes velars, palatals, anterior palatals, alveolars, and labials. 

 The palatal series (English Z:) seems to occur only in combination with 

 u articulations, or as labio-palatals. The anterior palatals may, how- 

 ever, also be explained as a Ti series with i position of the mouth ; so 

 that the two classes of palatals and anterior palatals may be consid- 

 ered as modifications of the same series. The anterior palatals have 

 a markedl}" affricative character. In most of these groups we find a 

 sonant, surd, fortis, and spirant. The sonant is harder than the cor- 

 responding English sound. The surd is pronounced with a full breath, 

 while the fortis is a surd with increased stress and suddenness of 

 articulation, and accompanying closure of the glottis. The sonant 

 is so strong that it is very easily mistaken for a surd, and even 

 more easily for a weakly pronounced fortis, since in many com- 

 binations the laryngeal intonation which characterizes the sonant 

 appears like the glottal stop which always accompanies the fortis. 

 Besides the groups mentioned before, we have a series of lateral 

 Unguals or I sounds, the glottal stop, and li, y, and w. 



This system may be represented as follows: 



Sonant 



Velar g 



Palatal (j{w) 



Anterior palatal . . g' 



Alveolar .... d 



Affricative .... dz 



Labial b 



Lateral l 



Glottal stop, ^ 



^, 



The vowels are quite variable. 

 The two pairs i e and o u probably represent each a single interme- 

 diate sound. The whole series of vowels may be represented as 

 follows : 



E 



i e i e a 6 o u 



leeda d o u 



§2 



