Universal 1798:
- Original
- There is a tendency for obstruents to be devoiced more often finally then initially.
- Standardized
- IF obstruents are devoiced initially, THEN they are devoiced finally.
- Keywords
- obstruent, voice
- Domain
- phonology
- Type
- implication
- Status
- unclear whether diachronic and/or achronic
- Quality
- statistical
- Basis
- IE languages in Jespersen 1933 [1960], Bloomfield 1935, Martinet 1955, 58-language sample in Coberly 1984
- Source
- Jespersen 1933 [1960: 546], Bloomfield 1935: 373, Martinet 1955, referred to by Coberly 1984: 102
- Counterexamples
Coberly (1984: 104) specifies that this tendency is the strongest for stops.