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Elkar?l grammar wrote: Where we might use stress to emphasize a constituent, Elkar?l uses length, for both vowels and consonants.

Can this be done with stops?

My guess would be that words like qqmit, which is an example of the prefix q- meaning repeat once, would be pronounced with separate releases for the stops. Vowels should always be drawn out, but fricative consonants fall somewhere in the middle.

You can say -khkhkhkh as one long velar fricative, but you can also say it cyclically, so to speak, giving a little more emphasis on each consonant with either increased breath or a little change in the position of the articulators. This leads then to the question of whether the elcari think of the above as one long consonant or several short ones squeezed together?

Are there words which would have a stop that is held for a longer time for emphasis and then released? The words qqqmit and qqqqmit would be really hard to tell apart with only one release, which was what prompted me to ask. (This is my human perception, OC.)

I love this language. There are so many great ideas in it.

This makes me wonder. If the doubling of plosives indicates its an implosive wouldn't that make "qq" an uvular implosive? I know it doesn't occur in the phonology. But could it arise due to the fact that the doubling of consonants represents an implosive? Or are there rules for affixation causing doubling of consonants and them not being implosives? Or is it just that they don't say it with an uvular implosive? Which would probably make more sense but I was just curious to as to how that worked as well.

Tsumu wrote:My guess would be that words like qqmit, which is an example of the prefix q- meaning repeat once, would be pronounced with separate releases for the stops.

Yes; this also answers Grey's question, since there's no extended holding time which could produce another implosive.

You can say -khkhkhkh as one long velar fricative, but you can also say it cyclically, so to speak, giving a little more emphasis on each consonant with either increased breath or a little change in the position of the articulators. This leads then to the question of whether the elcari think of the above as one long consonant or several short ones squeezed together?

They just extend the length of the fricative, without any cycling effects. Since this is a continuous rather than a discrete process, it's hard to indicate in IPA or in transcription. (Fricativization in the writing system is indicated by adding hairs to the head, which allows more lengths to be distinguished.)

I love this language. There are so many great ideas in it.

Thanks!