Comments: NO FRICATIVES IN AUSTRALIA.

For some more information about Australian languages, check out this page for some more details. The phonology of Australian languages is very interesting, with 6 way nasal distinctions and no voicing contrast. One wonders what our theories of phonology would look like if we hadn't lost so many of them...

Posted by joe tomei at April 28, 2004 05:11 AM
Yet another rebuttal to the universalists (who used to claim that all languages have fricatives).

Sign language must have come as a bit of shock, then?

Posted by des at April 28, 2004 07:14 AM

Some Australian languages have fricatives. Kala Lagaw Ya has the word kwasarr for 2 (

One of the Warluwarric languages has a velar fricative (but no s) - this is my all-time favourite system.

Voicing contrasts aren't quite as rare. They're there in many Karnic languages from Central Australia, and the Top End has a geminate/singleton distinction which also involves voicing.

Posted by Claire at April 29, 2004 12:06 AM