The Laryngeal Specifications of Fricatives

Phonologists have traditionally assumed that the unmarked laryngeal state of fricatives is to be unaspirated ([−spread glottis]). However, the data analyzed here, which are drawn from Armenian, Greek, Pali, Sanskrit, Spanish, and Thai, suggest that in their unmarked state voiceless fricatives are in fact [+spread glottis], whereas voiced fricatives are [−spread glottis].