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Universal 782: voiced primary oral stop ⇒ unvoiced primary oral stop

Posted in Universals Archive

Universal 782: voiced primary oral stop ⇒ unvoiced primary oral stop

Original
The presence of a voiced primary oral stop in a language is highly likely to imply the presence of its voiceless equivalent.
Standardized
IF there is a voiced primary oral stop, THEN its the voiceless equivalent is highly likely to be present too.
Keywords
consonant, oral, stop, voice
Domain
phonology
Type
implication
Status
achronic
Quality
statistical
Basis
317 language sample from Nartey 1979
Source
Nartey 1979: 22
Counterexamples
Indo-European: Breton (Celtic), Norwegian (Germanic), Persian (Indo-Iranian); Altaic: Mongolian (Mongolian-Tungus), Turkish (Turkic);Berta (E. Central Sudanic, Nilo-Saharan), Alawa (Maran, Australian),Selepet (Trans-New Guinea), Lak (East Caucasian), Klamath (Klamath-Modoc), Tunica (isolate remotely related to Algonquian) (Nartey 1979: 22);Borucá (Talamanca, Chibchan), Guaymí, Bocotá (both Guaymí, Chibchan)(Yasugi 1995: 66)

One Comment

  1. FP
    FP

    1. Primary oral stops are those speech sounds made with a pulmonic air stream and a complete closure of two articulators (as in the single articulations /p,t/) or four articulators (as in the double articulations /kp, gb/). The release of such sounds may be sudden (as in the stops /p,t/) or delayed (as in the affricates /pf, ts/) (Nartey 1979: 17).2. Cf. Nartey’s less restrictive claim (#799): If there is a voiced obstruent, then most likely its voiceless cognate is present as well.

    1. May 2020

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