Universal #777

Legacy number: 777

 Number  774
 Original  The number of secondary fricatives in a given language is never greater than that of primary fricatives.
 Standardized  The number of secondary fricatives is never greater than that of primary fricatives.
 Keywords  fricative
 Domain  phonology
 Type  implication
 Status  achronic
 Quality  absolute
 Basis  317 language sample from Nartey 1979
 Source  Nartey 1979: 14, cited also in Lass 1984: 154

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Discussion
Counterexamples
Notes
1. A secondary fricative is a fricative produced with extra contributions from articulators other than those involved in the production of a primary fricative, or by similar modification of the primary fricative. This may be the simultaneous coupling of the nasal cavity to produce nasalized sounds, the rounding of the lips to produce labialized sounds, or the raising of the back of the tongue to produce velarized sounds. Modifications may also be affected in the phonation types, such as the vibration of the vocal cords at only one end to produce laryngealized sounds (Nartey 1979: 13). 2. Primary fricatives are those speech sounds produced by the narrowing of two articulators so as to produce a turbulent air stream. (This excludes [h]). (Nartey 1979: 3).
Comment
Frans Plank · 3 Aug 2006
1. A secondary fricative is a fricative produced with extra contributions from articulators other than those involved in the production of a primary fricative, or by similar modification of the primary fricative. This may be the simultaneous coupling of the nasal cavity to produce nasalized sounds, the rounding of the lips to produce labialized sounds, or the raising of the back of the tongue to produce velarized sounds. Modifications may also be affected in the phonation types, such as the vibration of the vocal cords at only one end to produce laryngealized sounds (Nartey 1979: 13).

2. Primary fricatives are those speech sounds produced by the narrowing of two articulators so as to produce a turbulent air stream. (This excludes [h]). (Nartey 1979: 3).