'Articulatory setting', genealogies of an idea

The term 'articulatory setting' first appeared in English phonetic literatu re in a much-cited article by Beatrice Honikman (1964). The link between th is term and a set of synonyms used by a range of 19th century European scho lars was amply demonstrated by Laver (1978). By examining a few of the many sources available, this article seeks to show, as Laver's article did not, that the phenomenon that Honikman discusses has been almost continuously p resent in German phonetic literature from Sievers (1876) onward, and that B ritish scholar in the 20th century failed to take account of this. As a res ult, the concept was entirely absent from British phonetic literature from about 1909 until 1964. Against this background the article also seeks to es tablish possible direct sources for Honikman's ideas.