ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines the segmental phonetics of the Yucatec language as it is spoken by adults in the children's environment. It sketches the more abstract aspects of normal adult Yucatec phonology. The set of symbols thus constitute what might be called an "overdifferentiated phonemic" system. The so-called glottalized or ejective consonants combine primary closure and release identical to that of the plain stops and affricates with a simultaneous secondary closure at the glottis. Primary release is preceded by raising of the closed glottis and constrictive tensing of the supraglottal musculature to produce heightened pressure in the pharyngeal and oral cavities. Some of these prosodic derivational rules apply only to lexical items marked as Spanish loans: there is a very regular pattern of stress and tone variations in such borrowed items. The place and manner of articulation for all of the consonants and vowels varies in accordance with the tongue position and lip shape for the articulation of adjacent sounds.
