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Universal 842:

Posted in Universals Archive

Universal 842:

Original
There are no initial or final clusters in which all obstruent combinations are heterogeneous in regard to voicing.
Standardized
There are no initial or final clusters in which all obstruent combinations are heterogeneous in regard to voicing.
Keywords
consonant cluster, obstruent, heterogeneous, voice
Domain
phonology
Type
unconditional
Status
achronic
Quality
absolute
Basis
sample of 104 languages in Greenberg 1964
Source
Greenberg 1964 [Greenberg 1965: 13, Greenberg 1978e: 252, #5]
Counterexamples
Modern Hebrew has no restrictions on this. Compare the feminine adjectives: ‘ktuma’ (orange(-coloured)), ‘kduma’ (ancient), ‘gduma’ (amputated), or ‘tguwa’ (reaction) vs. ‘tkufa’ (period), where the initial clusters are all distinct (Hetzron 1980: 263).

One Comment

  1. FP
    FP

    Good examples: English (Germanic), Polish (Slavic), where all obstruent combinations are homogeneous in regard to voice.

    1. May 2020

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