Universal #1790

Legacy number: 1790

 Number  1785
 Original  The shorter a linguistic expression is, the more likely it is will be associated with familiarity and high frequency of occurrence.
The longer a linguistic expression is, the more likely it is will be associated with unfamiliarity and low frequency of occurrence.
 Standardized  The shorter a linguistic expression is, the more likely it is will be associated with familiarity and high frequency of occurrence.
The longer a linguistic expression is, the more likely it is will be associated with unfamiliarity and low frequency of occurrence.
 Keywords  iconicity, complexity, length, formality, register, frequency
 Domain  morphology, syntax, semantics
 Type  implication
 Status  achronic
 Quality  statistical
 Basis  experiment on 194 students, native speakers of Finnish and Swedish, in Östman 1989
 Source  Haiman 1983, cited in Östman 1989

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