Mud
A Pathway for a Sound Change: This interview segment is one several examples where we see the velar-uvular sound correspondence. The variation between [ p ] and [ b ] that we do not even put into our table of transcriptions makes it of special interest though for a completely different reason. The subject of voiceless un-aspirated stop consonants comes up several times in connection with the sound change in progress in Coos Bay Milluk whereby ejectives were becoming voiced stop consonants. What we have here with the word meaning ‘mud’ is evidence of how a voiceless un-aspirated stop consonant can be a natural variant of its voiced counterpart. That shows how voiceless un-aspirated stop consonants are a natural pathway for the sound change, as we discuss in what we say for a number of interview segments. See “He Knew It”.
Instant Phonetic Englishization: tlh_back, ending like the English word ‘back’, for Lolly's version of the word Annie’s q, as uvular consonant, is farther back in the throat.
A Voiceless Un-aspirated Stop Consonant: Lolly’s second token is actually [ tƚpæk ] in our transcript of the interview, where we are not worried about confusing anyone. We avoid putting that into our table of transcriptions here because the phonetic symbol [ p ] there represents a voiceless un-aspirated bilabial stop consonant, the p in the name ‘Spock’. Contrast that with the p in the English word ‘pock’. Jacobs generally did not write the aspirated stop consonants that he heard in Milluk as being aspirated, taking the matter for granted. Often enough, following him, we have not either, although we make a point of trying to fix that for what goes online on this website. See what we say about that for the interview segment “Bear”.