Universal #1781

Legacy number: 1781

 Number  1776
 Original  Universal Inequality Condition:
(A) e → Ø / _#;
(B) o → Ø / _#;
(C) a → Ø / _#;

1. If a language has only one of (A) and (B), it will be (A).
2. If a language has (B), then it must also have (A).
3. If a language has both (A) and (B), then (B) must apply before (A).
 Standardized  When there is final vowel deletion:
IF /o/ undergoes elision at the end of a word, THEN /e/ will undergo elision as well.
IF /e/ and /o/ undergo elision at the end of a word, THEN /o/ must be elided before /e/.
 Keywords  vowel, elision, apocope
 Domain  phonology
 Type  implication
 Status  unclear whether diachronic and/or achronic
 Quality  absolute
 Basis  Indo-European languages and Finnish
 Source  Foley 1977: 70

← Back to Universals Archive

Discussion
Notes
This scheme claims there is a universal ordering of vowel elision according to the strength of the vowel.
Comment
Frans Plank · 3 Aug 2006
This scheme claims there is a universal ordering of vowel elision according to the strength of the vowel.