Universal #1714

Legacy number: 1714

 Number  1709
 Original  The Contact Law:
A syllable contact A$B is the more preferred, the less the Consonantal Strength of the offset A and the greater the Consontal Strength of the onset B; more precisely, the greater the characteristic difference CS(B)–CS(A) between the Consonantal Strength of B and that of A.
 Standardized  The Contact Law:
A syllable contact A$B is the more preferred, the less the Consonantal Strength of the offset A and the greater the Consontal Strength of the onset B; more precisely, the greater the characteristic difference CS(B)–CS(A) between the Consonantal Strength of B and that of A.
 Keywords  syllable, consonant, strength, sonority
 Domain  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: 40

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Discussion
Notes
This Contact Law can be generalized, leading to the General Syllabication Law (#1714).In Murray & Vennemann (1983) this was called The Syllable Contact Law and stated thus:Sonority of a syllable-final consonant must exceed that of a following syllable-initial consonant (equivalently, the second must exceed the first in "strength").This is in effect what is otherwise known as The Sonority Sequencing Principle.
Comment
Frans Plank · 3 Aug 2006
This Contact Law can be generalized, leading to the General Syllabication Law (<a class="innerLink" href="browse.php?entry_id=1714"><img src="../img/entry.gif" border="0">).

In Murray & Vennemann 1983 this was called The Syllable Contact Law and stated thus: Sonority of a syllable-final consonant must exceed that of a following syllable-initial consonant (equivalently, the second must exceed the first in "strength").

This is in effect what is otherwise known as The Sonority Sequencing Principle.