Universal #1804
Legacy number: 1804
| Number | 1799 |
| Original | There is a tendency for consonants to front initially and back finally. |
| Standardized | There is a tendency for consonants to front when in initial position and to back when in final position. |
| Keywords | obstruent, voice |
| Domain | phonology |
| Type | unconditional |
| Status | unclear whether diachronic and/or achronic |
| Quality | statistical |
| Basis | five diary studies of English-speaking children in Ingram 1974, 58-language sample in Coberly 1984 |
| Source | Ingram 1974, referred to by Coberly 1984: 102 |
Discussion
Notes
1. Stated as a universal acquisitional sequence, but can be assumed to be intended also as a universal implication. 2. Bailey (1977) makes a similar claim that apical consonants tend to be favored syllable-initially, but velars syllable-finally, in the languages of the world.
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2. Bailey 1977 makes a similar claim that apical consonants tend to be favored syllable-initially, but velars syllable-finally, in the languages of the world.