Universal #789

Legacy number: 789

 Number  786
 Original  The number of secondary oral stops in a given language is not likely to be greater than that of primary oral stops.
 Standardized  The number of secondary oral stops is not likely to be greater than that of primary oral stops.
 Keywords  oral, stop, secondary, primary
 Domain  phonology
 Type  implication
 Status  achronic
 Quality  statistical
 Basis  317 language sample from Nartey 1979
 Source  Nartey 1979: 26

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Discussion
Counterexamples
!Xu=Kung (Khoisan) (Nartey 1979: 26)Acatlán, Silacayoapan, Mixtepec, Ayutla, Atatlahuca, El Grande, Peñoles, Chayuco (all Mixtecan, Oto-Manguean), Xinca (unclassified) (Yasugi 1995: 67)
Notes
1. Primary oral stops are those speech sounds made with a pulmonic air stream and a complete closure of two articulators (as in the single articulations /p,t/) or four articulators (as in the double articulations /kp, gb/). The release of such sounds may be sudden (as in the stops /p,t/) or delayed (as in the affricates /pf, ts/) (Nartey 1979: 17).2. A secondary oral stop is a stop made with extra contributions from articulators other than those involved in the production of a primary oral stop (e.g. lip rounding to produce labialized stops). Also included are those stops that are either preceded or followed by a short period of nasal closure (as in the nasalized sounds), or voiceless vowels (as in the aspirated sounds) (Nartey 1979: 24).
Comment
Frans Plank · 3 Aug 2006
1. Primary oral stops are those speech sounds made with a pulmonic air stream and a complete closure of two articulators (as in the single articulations /p,t/) or four articulators (as in the double articulations /kp, gb/). The release of such sounds may be sudden (as in the stops /p,t/) or delayed (as in the affricates /pf, ts/) (Nartey 1979: 17).

2. A secondary oral stop is a stop made with extra contributions from articulators other than those involved in the production of a primary oral stop (e.g. lip rounding to produce labialized stops). Also included are those stops that are either preceded or followed by a short period of nasal closure (as in the nasalized sounds), or voiceless vowels (as in the aspirated sounds) (Nartey 1979: 24).