The Phonology of rr and r in Khotanese

Abstract

This article is the second installment of a study examining the origin and development of rr and r in Khotanese. Determining the phonological values of these two rhotic sounds remains complex, much like interpreting their palaeography. Drawing on the conclusions from the first installment published in 2025, this article aims to clarify their phonological and phonetic values in initial and internal position. Through an examination of synchronic and diachronic evidence, the study argues that rr and r were distinct phonemes in Old Khotanese. In an unattested stage, rr was likely a geminate consonant, which later degeminates into /r/ in Archaic Khotanese, while Old Khotanese r functionally corresponds to an alveolar tap/flap /ɾ/ but was also realized as a retroflex flap [ɽ] or approximant [ɻ] (if not a retroflex phoneme). The article further traces the development of r and rr from the predocumentary period to the latest attested stages of the language.