Universal 1601: Vowels > Semivowels > Liquids > Fricatives > Obstruent Stops
- Original
- Nasal harmony hierarchy:
Vowels > Semivowels > Liquids > Fricatives > Obstruent Stops.
This hierarchy reflects the relative compatibility of [+nasal] (i.e. nasality) with different groups of segments, such that compatibility decreases moving from left to right.
- Standardized
- IF the feature [nasal] is compatible with obstruent stops, THEN it is also compatible with fricatives;
IF the feature [nasal] is compatible with fricatives, THEN it is also compatible with liquids;
IF the feature [nasal] is compatible with liquids, THEN it is also compatible with semivowels;
IF the feature [nasal] is compatible with semivowels, THEN it is also compatible with vowels. - Keywords
- nasal harmony, hierarchy
- Domain
- phonology
- Type
- implicational hierarchy
- Status
- achronic
- Quality
- absolute
- Basis
- more than 75 languages sample (clearly presented in Walker 1998)
- Source
- Schourup 1972, Pulleyblank 1989, Piggott 1992, Cohn 1993a, Cohn 1993b, Padgett 1995, and Walker 1995, Walker 1998 as summarized in Walker & Pullum 1999
- Counterexamples
- Southern and Northern Barasano, Cubeo, and Desano (Tucanoan); Guaranà (Tupi) (Piggott 1992).
1. This implicational hierarchy corresponds to the most frequent type of nasal harmony, in which the harmonic element, the feature [nasal], is dominated by the Soft Palate node (Piggott 1992: 61-62).2. Languages such as Southern Barasano (see #1606) appear to undergo another type of nasal harmony, in which the harmonic element, the feature [nasal], is dominated by the Spontaneous Voicing node, which is an alternative label for the feature [sonorant] (Piggott 1992: 48).3. See also ##1610, 1612, 1613.