Universal #1704

Legacy number: 1704

 Number  1699
 Original  The Syllabic Tone Law (conjectured):
Non-level tones (chromatic accents) on short vowels — or more generally on syllables of less than two voiced moric speech sounds — are dispreferred in tone (or pitch accent) languages.
 Standardized  The Syllabic Tone Law (conjectured):
IF there are non-level tones on syllables of less than two voiced moric speech sounds, THEN there will also be non-level tones on syllables of two or more voiced moric speech sounds.
 Keywords  tone, level, accent, pitch accent, mora, short vowel
 Domain  prosodic phonology
 Type  implication
 Status  achronic
 Quality  statistical
 Basis  languages mentioned in Vennemann 1988, with special reference to German, Germanic, Italian, and Latin
 Source  Vennemann 1988: 12

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Discussion
Notes
Vennemann’s PREFERENCE LAWS (1988: 2-3):Diachronic Maxim:Linguistic change on a given parameter does not affect a language structure as long as there exist structures in the language system that are less preferred in terms of the relevant preference law.Synchronic Maxim:A language system will in general not contain a structure on a given parameter without containing those structures constructible with the means of the system that are more preferred in terms of the relevant preference law.
Comment
Frans Plank · 3 Aug 2006
Vennemann's PREFERENCE LAWS (Vennemann 1988: 2-3):
Diachronic Maxim:
Linguistic change on a given parameter does not affect a language structure as long as there exist structures in the language system that are less preferred in terms of the relevant preference law.

Synchronic Maxim:
A language system will in general not contain a structure on a given parameter without containing those structures constructible with the means of the system that are more preferred in terms of the relevant preference law.