Universal 360: free word order ⇒ words are longer than one syllable;
SVO ⇒ words tend to be monosyllabic

Universal 360: free word order ⇒ words are longer than one syllable;
SVO ⇒ words tend to be monosyllabic

Original

Words tend to be longer than one syllable in transpositive [free word order] languages and to be monosyllabic in analogous [SVO] languages.

Standardized

IF word order is free, THEN the words tend to be longer than one syllable.
IF basic word order is SVO, THEN the words tend to be monosyllabic.

Keywords

word length, syllable, order, SVO

Domain

phonology, syntax

Type

implication

Status

achronic

Quality

statistical

Basis

unspecified

Source

Anonymous 1771, as interpreted in Plank 1996, Plank 1998

Counterexamples