Universal #1608

Legacy number: 1608

 Number  1604
 Original  There is a tendency for back vowels to nasalize more readily than front ones.
 Standardized  IF front vowels are nasalized, THEN back vowels are nasalized as well.
 Formula  front vowels nasalized ⇒ back vowels nasalized
 Keywords  nasalization, front, back, vowel
 Domain  phonology
 Type  implication
 Status  achronic
 Quality  statistical
 Basis  languages mentioned in Schourup 1972
 Source  Schourup 1972: 541

← Back to Universals Archive

Discussion
Counterexamples
Chinese dialects favour front nasalization (Schourup 1972: 541, referring to Chen 1974: 913)These opposing views are discussed in Ferguson 1974: 12.