ABSTRACT
Phonetically conditioned sound changes such as lenition are attributed to biological factors which include the physical shape of the vocal organs, their movement, and the acoustic consequences of these properties. As such, these sound changes are motivated by properties that are common to all speakers regardless of their language, and are divorced from all phonological considerations. However, while such changes are motivated by physical
The fact that so many of the (mostly) lenition processes investigated in the present study are found to be non-neutralizing overwhelmingly supports the hypothesis that such processes do not operate independently of functional considerations. The present study goes further into the nature of the relationship between phonetic changes and functional considerations, allowing a glimpse into the progress and outcome of the sound changes under circumstances where contrast is threatened to various degrees.
