Universal #1866
Legacy number: 1866
| Number | 1861 |
| Original | Vowel Height Parameter: The development of some or all of the distinctive nasal processes occur preferentially in the context of low vowels before spreading to mid and then finally high vowels. |
| Standardized | IF nasalization and nasal deletion occur in the context of high vowels, THEN it will have already occurred in the context of mid vowels. IF nasalization and nasal deletion occur in the context of mid vowels, THEN it will have already occurred in the context of low vowels. |
| Keywords | nasalization, nasal deletion, vowel, low, high, mid |
| Domain | phonology |
| Type | implicational hierarchy |
| Status | diachronic |
| Quality | statistical |
| Basis | Sanskrit, Ancient Greek (Foley 1975), 8 North Italian dialects: Bolognese, Cairese, Imoloese, Lughese, Ravennate, Riminese, Milanese, Bergamese; Rhaeto-Romance (Taveschan dialect); Latin (Hajek 1997) |
| Source | Schourup 1973: 192, Lightner 1973, Chen 1973a (and elsewhere), Ruhlen 1973, Foley 1975, Foley 1977, Hombert 1986, Hombert 1987, Hajek 1993: 148, all mentioned in Hajek 1997: 116 |
Discussion
Counterexamples
For both processes: Chamorro (Witucki 1974), Akan (Schachter & Fromkin 1968), Gunu (Robinson 1984), Voute (Guarisma 1978), Valaisan Franco-Provençal (Bjerrome 1959), Picard (Flutre 1955), Mengzi, Karuyan, Huaning (Hajek 1997)N-deletion only: Panamanian Spanish (Cedergreen & Sankoff 1975)
Notes
1. This height parameter is stated more specifically for the process of nasalization only in #1288.2. There is disagreement as to which parts of the process of distinctive nasalization are affected by the Vowel Height Parameter. Lightner and Ruhlen indicate that vowel height is relevant only to the spread of phonologized vowel nasalization before nasals. Schourup and Chen allow vowel height as a unitary process. Foley emphasizes vowel deletion. Hajek treats vowel nasalization and nasal deletion as two distinct processes (hence a separate universal from #1288).
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2. There is disagreement as to which parts of the process of distinctive nasalization are affected by the Vowel Height Parameter. Lightner and Ruhlen indicate that vowel height is relevant only to the spread of phonologized vowel nasalization before nasals. Schourup and Chen allow vowel height as a unitary process. Foley emphasizes vowel deletion. Hajek treats vowel nasalization and nasal deletion as two distinct processes (hence a separate universal from <a class="innerLink" href="browse.php?entry_id=1288"><img src="../img/entry.gif" border="0">).