ABSTRACT
This characteristic feature of Nivkh affects word-initial and suffix-initial consonants, the m utation being triggered by the final of the preceding word or syllable. Typical m utation series a re : /p - v - b ; t - r - d ; t ' - z - d ' ; k - y - g/. There are about 20 such series; inspection of them shows, for example, that no Nivkh word has a citation form with voiced plosive initial: cf. tif"house’ (citation form): / t /—> /r/ after /k/, e.g. it ik r / / ‘father’s house’; /t/ —> /d/ after vowel, e.g. oylagu d if ‘children’s hom e’.
