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Universal 704:
- Original
- The number of height distinctions in front vowels is equal to or greater than the number in back vowels.
- Standardized
- IF there are n height distinctions in back vowels, THEN there are not more than n distinctions in front vowels.
- Keywords
- height, front, back, vowel
- Domain
- phonology
- Type
- implication
- Status
- achronic
- Quality
- absolute
- Basis
- sample of 209 languages in Crothers 1978
- Source
- Crothers 1978: 135, cited in Holenstein 1985: 125
- Counterexamples
- Northern and Southern Tepehuan, Papago (all Uto-Aztecan), Tlahuitoltepec Mixe (Mixe-Zoque), GuaymĂ (Chibchan) (Yasugi 1995: 74)
