Universal #656

Legacy number: 656

 Number  653
 Original  There is an inverse relationship between the number of phonemes in a language and the average length of its morphemes.
 Standardized  IF the phoneme inventory is large, THEN morpheme length is short.
IF the phoneme inventory is small, THEN morphemes length is long.
 Formula  large phoneme inventory ⇒ short morphemes;
small phoneme inventory ⇒ long morphemes
 Keywords  phoneme, morpheme length
 Domain  phonology
 Type  implication
 Status  achronic
 Quality  statistical
 Basis  ?
 Source  Byrne 1885, cited by Plank 1998

← Back to Universals Archive

Discussion
Notes
1. Also repeated by Hockett 1958: 93, Saporta 1963: 69-70, Milewski 1969/1973: 154-5), Hagège & Haudricourt 1978: 67, Décsy 1987: 70, 87, Dressler 1979: 268. 2. See also #659.3. See also #919 for an analogous claim about WORD length.
Comment
Frans Plank · 3 Aug 2006
1. Also repeated by Hockett 1958: 93, Saporta 1963: 69-70, Milewski 1969/1973: 154-5), Hagége & Haudricourt 1978: 67, Dècsy 1987: 70, 87, Dressler 1979: 268.

2. See also <a class="innerLink" href="browse.php?entry_id=659"><img src="../img/entry.gif" border="0">

3. See also <a class="innerLink" href="browse.php?entry_id=919"><img src="../img/entry.gif" border="0"> for an analogous claim about WORD length.