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Universal 1804:

Posted in Universals Archive

Universal 1804:

Original
IF there is a voiced dental-alveolar sibilant fricative [”z”], THEN there is a voiceless dental-alveolar sibilant fricative [”s”].
Standardized
IF there is a voiced dental-alveolar sibilant fricative, THEN there is a voiceless dental-alveolar sibilant fricative.
Keywords
fricative, sibilant, dental-alveolar, voice
Domain
phonology
Type
implication
Status
achronic
Quality
absolute
Basis
Maddieson’s UPSID-451 database
Source
Pericliev (i.p.)
Counterexamples

One Comment

  1. FP
    FP

    1. This is a more specific version of Nartey’s claim: (#773) “The presence of a voiced primary fricative in a language is highly likely to imply the presence of its voiceless equivalent,” as well as #799: “If there is a voiced obstruent, then most likely its voiceless cognate is present as well.”2. Cf. ##1807, 1828.

    1. May 2020

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