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Universal 786:

Posted in Universals Archive

Universal 786:

Original
The number of secondary oral stops in a given language is not likely to be greater than that of primary oral stops.
Standardized
The number of secondary oral stops is not likely to be greater than that of primary oral stops.
Keywords
oral, stop, secondary, primary
Domain
phonology
Type
implication
Status
achronic
Quality
statistical
Basis
317 language sample from Nartey 1979
Source
Nartey 1979: 26
Counterexamples
!Xu=Kung (Khoisan) (Nartey 1979: 26)Acatlán, Silacayoapan, Mixtepec, Ayutla, Atatlahuca, El Grande, Peñoles, Chayuco (all Mixtecan, Oto-Manguean), Xinca (unclassified) (Yasugi 1995: 67)

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. A secondary oral stop is a stop made with extra contributions from articulators other than those involved in the production of a primary oral stop (e.g. lip rounding to produce labialized stops). Also included are those stops that are either preceded or followed by a short period of nasal closure (as in the nasalized sounds), or voiceless vowels (as in the aspirated sounds) (Nartey 1979: 24).

    1. May 2020

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