Universal #778
Legacy number: 778
| Number | 775 |
| Original | Every language must have at least one Primary Nasal Consonant in its inventory. |
| Standardized | Every language must have at least one Primary Nasal Consonant in its inventory. |
| Keywords | nasal, consonant |
| Domain | phonology |
| Type | unconditional |
| Status | achronic |
| Quality | statistical |
| Basis | languages mentioned in Ferguson 1963; 317 language sample from Nartey 1979 |
| Source | Ferguson 1963: 56 (I), cited in Uspensky 1965: 191, Nartey 1979: 29 |
Discussion
Counterexamples
Quileute (Chimakuan), Duwamish, Snoqualmie (both Salish), where the PNCs assumed for an earlier period are said to have become voiced stops (Hockett 1955: 119, cited in Greenberg, Osgood, & Jenkins 1963: xx, Nartey 1979: 30); Bribrí, Bocotá (both Chibchan) (Yasugi 1995: 69);Achumawi (Hokan), Apinaye (Ge-Pano), Barasano (Tucanoan), Mura (Paezan), Quileute (Chimakuan), Puget Sound (Salish), Hakka (Chinese, Sino-Tibetan)(Nartey 1979: 29); Rotokas (E. Papuan) (Nartey 1979: 29, Herbert 1986: 56);Makah, Nitinat (both Wakashan), Quileute (Chimakuan), Clallam, Duwamish, Snoqualmie, Lkungen, Twana (all Salish), Pawnee (Caddoan) (Thompson & Thompson 1972: 442ff.); also mentioned in Campbell 1980: 21.
Notes
1. The lack of nasals seems to occur in the Salishan and Chemakuan language families and in the Nootka branch of the Wakashan family (Thompson & Thompson 1972: 442).2. Definition: A Primary Nasal Consonant (PNC) is a phoneme of which the most characteristic allophone is a voiced nasal stop, that is, a sound produced by a complete oral stoppage (e.g., apical, labial), velic opening, and vibration of the vocal chords (Ferguson 1963: 56).
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2. Definition: A Primary Nasal Consonant (PNC) is a phoneme of which the most characteristic allophone is a voiced nasal stop, that is, a sound produced by a complete oral stoppage (e.g., apical, labial), velic opening, and vibration of the vocal chords (Ferguson 1963: 56).