Typological specifics of the Evenk consonantism (according to the data of digital roentgenography and magnetic-resonance tomography)

The analysis of complex instrumental data on the Evenk language phonetics has made it possible to reveal the place of its consonantism in the typological classification and to define the dominant ethnic characteristics of the articulatory-acoustic base (AAB) of the ethnos. The specifics of the Evenk language’s AAB is determined by more forward localization of articulatory settings of consonants than in the majority of the surveyed languages of Siberia. The labial, forelingual and forelingual-mediolingual articulations (14 units) prevail, the class of guttural phonemes is represented only by 4 phonemes while no classical uvular implementations have been fixed in the system. The total palatalization of consonant settings where the body of the tongue moves forward-up, increasing the volume of the back-oral-pharyngeal part of the resonator and causing the acoustic effect of softness, as well as the absence of velarized, uvularized and nazalized articulations productive in the languages of Siberia, also indicate that the movement of the mechanisms for sound generation forward is the predominant characteristic of the articulation base of the Evenks.

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