Right at the left edge: Initial consonant mutations in the world‘s languages

In this paper I offer an overview of systems of initial consonant mutations found in the world’s languages and attempt to propose a preliminary typology. Many of these phenomena can probably be subsumed under a general theory of nonconcatenative morphology and phonology, but in some cases (notably some of the Celtic ones) the mutations’ place in the grammar is less clear. For another, more detailed take on this architectural issue in the specific case of Breton, see also this later paper.