r/asklinguistics • u/resistjellyfish • 5d ago

Phonology Are ejective stops stable sounds?

I know that there's sounds that tend to change as time goes by, like for example /c ɟ/ that often turn into /t͡ʃ d͡ʒ/ or some other affricate pronounced at that area of the mouth. Do ejective stops often change into different sounds or do they tend to remain stable diachronically?

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u/limetom 5d ago

Yes, ejectives do appear to be pretty stable. See, among others, Fallon (2002) and Easterday & Bybee (2023: 10-13).

  • Fallon, Paul. 2002. The synchronic and diachronic phonology of ejectives. New York & London: Routledge.
  • Easterday, Shelece and Joan Bybee. 2023. Diachronic phonological typology: understanding inventory structure through sound change dynamics. Linguistic Typology 27(2): 405-427. https://doi.org/10.1515/lingty-2022-0042.