It is known that consonants can act as boundary markers when they are located at the left edge of a prosodic domain, helping listeners to parse incoming speech. To achieve maximum efficiency in marking out boundaries, those markers should be acoustically salient. In Element Theory, domain markers are represented by the elements |H| and |ʔ|. Being inherently voiceless, these elements stand apart from the other elements, which are spontaneously voiced. Most languages show a preference for incorporating |H| or |ʔ| into segmental structures which stand at the left edge of domains. This paper challenges the universality of this view by analysing data from Kaqchikel, a K’iche’an language with a bias for marking the right edge of domains rather than the left. The marker in question is intense/prolonged noise which, in Element Theory is represented by |H|. The |H| element is present in fortis fricatives and aspirates, and in Kaqchikel it regularly appears in segments at the right edge of prosodic domains where it serves as a domain boundary marker. Boundary marking in Kaqchikel is analysed here using a Precedence-free Phonology approach to melodic structure (Nasukawa 2016) in which the linear ordering of segments is determined by the hierarchical organization of melodic units (elements) within a unified melodic–prosodic structure.

中文翻译：

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具有挑战性的跨语言类型学：Kaqchikel 中的右边缘辅音突出

众所周知，当辅音位于韵律域的左边缘时，它们可以充当边界标记，帮助听众解析传入的语音。为了在标出边界时实现最大效率，这些标记应该在声学上突出。在元素理论中，域标记由元素 |H| 表示。和|ʔ|。由于本质上是无声的，这些元素与其他自然发声的元素不同。大多数语言都倾向于合并 |H| 或 |ʔ| 成位于域左边缘的分段结构。本文通过分析来自 Kaqchikel 的数据来挑战这一观点的普遍性，Kaqchikel 是一种偏向于标记域右边缘而不是左边缘的 K'iche'an 语言。所讨论的标记是强烈/延长的噪声，在元素理论中由 |H| 表示。|H| 元素存在于 fortis 擦音和送气音中，在 Kaqchikel 中，它经常出现在韵律域右边缘的片段中，用作域边界标记。Kaqchikel 中的边界标记在这里使用对旋律结构的无优先音系方法进行分析（Nasukawa 2016），其中片段的线性排序由统一的旋律-韵律结构中的旋律单元（元素）的层次组织确定。