87 



Cf. German*) с h in 1011 = 7-2?"^^ eclit = j'2b, ach == /'2'' *"•'', 

 Spanish*) j in J 11 an, Jeres = ;'2', Florentine Italian*) с 

 in la casa = j'2' 



y is an aspirated consonant that stands in the same rela- 

 tion to J as ^ to r. Its place of articulation, as in the case 

 of the German ch, depends very much upon the surrounding 

 vowel-sounds. Between back vowels, it lies rather farther back 

 in the mouth than the corresponding German sound ; between 

 front vowels it may probably be drawn forward to the point: h 

 (the highest point of the palate-arch) as in: [ni^yoY [г/'ш]'^- 



In Upernavik, this sound is not used, but is replaced by 

 the corresponding stopped consonant (lengthened). At the same 

 time the preceding vowel is in a strange manner postpalatalized, 

 i. e. the back part of the tongue, as in the case of g, lays itself 

 slowly up against a large portion of the palate [y^"^) as if to 

 prepare the k-closure. Ex.: \nå'ka] for [na-y-aY, \ак-ггрщ] for 

 [ауггрщ] *, [sàk -щ] ^, \niiàk"d-rp^\ ^, [uk'dvnaq^-^q] ^ etc. 



§ 9. Front consonants [j s\. 

 Greenlandic. J = y- «'' 3^^^'''^*^. 



Cf. French*): piller у2 hier [j-æ-r] уЧЪ travail, bataille [trava'j, 



batA-j] ^3^ or 34 f. 

 English*): yard, you ^23^ or 3^, Danish*) : ja, jubel = English [jj. 

 German*): ja, jugend yl^. 



The Greenlandic J-sound may in general be said to be 

 produced by a light friction of the whole front of the tongue 

 against the palate-arch. 



•) Jespersen: Fonetik gg 211—213. 



' slime of lish ' his throat ' no * he approaches ' a thin-haired skin 

 it is howling (the dog) ' he is vexed because he failed. 



