84

and raised in the environment of /n/ and /y/ and word-
initially. Elsewhere intermediate or high allophones
occur. Additional study will be needed to determine the

conditioning.
3-2.22 Consonants

Most allophonic variation of consonants in Aymara
is morphophonemically conditioned, and is therefore dis-
cussed in Chapter 4.

Friction attending the velar and postvelar frica-
tives /j/ and /x/ and the flap /r/ is variable but whether
the variation is dialectal, stylistic, or idiosyncratic
is yet to be determined. Impressionistically it was
noted that some Juli speakers pronounced initial /j/ with
heavy friction whereas in other dialects initial /j/ is
more often a glottal [h]. Dialects having /j/ (Salinas,
Jopoqueri) where La Paz and other dialects have /k/, for
example in the incompletive verbal derivational suffix
-ja- ~ -ka-, articulate a somewhat prevelar, palatalized
/j/ and a clearly postvelar /x/. The difference is quite

noticeable even to a nonnative in such pairs as
Chur.j.t.wa. ‘I'm giving it to him/her/them. '
Chur.x.t.wa. ‘I gave it to him/her/them.' (Jopoqueri)

(The second example has the verbal derivational suffix