Universal #1606

Legacy number: 1606

 Number  1602
 Original  Languages that manifest the dependency of nasality on voicing normally have prenasalized stops.
 Standardized  IF the feature [nasal] is a dependent of the Spontaneous Voicing node (SV-node), THEN there are prenalized stops.
 Formula  nasal, voice, prenasalized stop, sonorant
 Domain  phonology
 Type  implication
 Status  achronic
 Quality  statistical
 Basis  Southern and Northern Barasano, Cubeo, and Desano (Tucanoan), Guaraní (Tupi)
 Source  Piggott 1992: 74

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Discussion
Notes
1. Languages such as Southern Barasano “do not have the consonantal contrast between nasal and non-nasal segments but between voiced and voiceless ones” (Piggott 1992: 47). Piggott (1992: 49) proposes that all voiced segments in the consonant system of such languages, including the prenasalized stops, are sonorants -> the voiced-voiceless distinction in this type of systems is a contrast between sonorants and non-sonorants.2. Spontaneous Voicing (SV-node), “ is an alternate label for the feature [sonorant]”. It is “a vocal tract configuration in which the vocal cords vibrate in response to the passage of air” (Piggott 1992: 48).
Comment
Frans Plank · 3 Aug 2006
1. Languages such as Southern Barasano "do not have the consonantal contrast between nasal and non-nasal segments but between voiced and voiceless ones" (Piggott 1992: 47). Piggott 1992: 49: proposes that all voiced segments in the consonant system of such languages, including the prenasalized stops, are sonorants → the voiced-voiceless distinction in this type of systems is a contrast between sonorants and non-sonorants.

2. Spontaneous Voicing (SV-node), "is an alternate label for the feature [sonorant]". It is "a vocal tract configuration in which the vocal cords vibrate in response to the passage of air" (Piggott 1992: 48).