Universal #1186

Legacy number: 1186

 Number  1182
 Original  In all languages known so far there appear to be labels for ‘toe’ and ‘finger’. But if there are terms for individual toes, then there are also terms for individual fingers, though not vice versa.
 Standardized  IF there are terms for individual toes, THEN there are terms for individual fingers.
 Formula  terms for individual toes ⇒ terms for individual fingers
 Keywords  body parts
 Domain  lexicon
 Type  implication
 Status  achronic
 Quality  absolute
 Basis  41 languages in Brown 1976 (12 American Indian languages, 10 European, 5 sub-Saharan African, 4 Mideastern and Western Asian, 5 Southeast Asian, 2 Chinese, 2 Micronesian)
 Source  Brown 1976, also mentioned in Andersen 1978: 352

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Discussion
Notes
Thus, there are languages which label (1) no individual digits, (2) some individual fingers but no individual toes, and (3) a subset of both fingers and toes. However, there are no languages that label some individual toes but no individual fingers. (Andersen 1978: 352)
Comment
Frans Plank · 3 Aug 2006
Thus, there are languages which label (1) no individual digits, (2) some individual fingers but no individual toes, and (3) a subset of both fingers and toes. However, there are no languages that label some individual toes but no individual fingers. (Andersen 1978: 352)