85

-xXa- completive.) The amount of friction attending both
/j/ and /x/ in those dialects seems impressionistically
about the same; it is the relative fronting and backing
which is distinctive, as in the case of Aymara vowels.
The front and back vowels lower in the environment of

postvelar consonants by assimilation, thereby assisting
the nonnative speaker of Aymara in distinguishing the

velar and postvelar consonants. Examples:

i
ik.i Liky] ‘he/she/it/they sleep(s)' (all dialects)

 

igqiqu [eqeqo] “mischievous spirit! (all dialects)

sar.j.i [sang ~ sar] ‘jt rusted' (La Paz)
> <

sar.Xx.i [sarxe] 'he/she/it/they left' (La Paz, elsewhere)
uU,uU uu ' ; <

puku puku [p~k~ p~k~] smal] owl' (Juli)
VvwVvwvvwYy

pug.u  [poqo] ‘it produces, ripens' (Jopoqueri, Salinas,
Calacala)

ij
p'isi.ja [p" =s-Ja ~ p"~s~xa] ‘my cat' (San Andrés
IIx de Machaca)

1
p"isi.xa [p"ssexa] 'the/a cat' (San Andrés de Machaca)