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Universal 1790: -VN ⇒ +VN ⇒ ’VN (nasalization and N-deletion)
’VN ⇒ +VN ⇒ -VN (denasalization)

Posted in Universals Archive

Universal 1790: -VN ⇒ +VN ⇒ ’VN (nasalization and N-deletion)
’VN ⇒ +VN ⇒ -VN (denasalization)

Original
Extended Stress Parameter:
Nasalization and N-deletion develop successively in a predictable manner, occurring first in tonic (’VN) stressed syllables, before spreading to pretonic (+VN) unstressed syllables, and then finally to post-tonic (-VN) unstressed syllables.
(Denasalization follows the reverse order.)
Standardized
IF N-deletion occurs in post-tonic unstressed syllables, THEN it will have already occurred in pretonic unstressed syllables.
IF N-deletion occurs in pretonic unstressed syllables, THEN it will have already occurred in tonic stressed syllables.

IF denasalization occurs in tonic stressed syllables, THEN it will have already occured in pretonic unstressed syllables.
IF denasalization occurs in pretonic unstressed syllables, THEN it will have already occured in post-tonic unstressed syllables.

Keywords
nasal, deletion, denasalization, stress, tonic, atonic
Domain
phonology
Type
implicational hierarchy
Status
diachronic
Quality
statistical
Basis
8 North Italian dialects: Bolognese, Cairese, Imoloese, Lughese, Ravennate, Riminese, Milanese, Bergamese; Rhaeto-Romance (Taveschan dialect); Latin
Source
Hajek 1997: 97
Counterexamples

One Comment

  1. FP
    FP
    1. May 2020

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