Skip to content

Universal 948:

Posted in Universals Archive

Universal 948:

Original
In languages with phonemic stress, the number of phonemic contrasts in stressed syllables will be greater than or equal to the number of phonemic contrasts in unstressed syllables.
Standardized
When there is phonemic stress, the number of phonemic contrasts in stressed syllables will be greater than or equal to the number of phonemic contrasts in unstressed syllables.
Keywords
stress, phoneme, syllable
Domain
phonology
Type
unconditional
Status
achronic
Quality
statistical
Basis
unspecified
Source
Trubetzkoy, as referred to by Ferguson 1963: 54, cited in DĂ©csy 1987: 52;
also Saporta 1963: 68, cited in Uspensky 1965: 194, Dressler 1979: 265
Counterexamples
Certain Tajik dialects and certain varieties of Syrian Arabic, in which stress has a leveling effect on vowels. In these languages, the stressed vowels are not greatly lengthened and are less clear that the unstressed vowels. These languages usually have a greater number of vowel contrasts in unstressed position. (Uspensky 1965: 194 referring to Ferguson 1963: 54)

One Comment

  1. FP
    FP

    Can probably be redone implicationally: IF there is a phonemic contrast in unstressed syllable, THEN stressed syllables will have the same phonemic contrast and possibly more.But are unstressed and stressed syllables really supposed to share the SAME contrasts?Is supposed to illustrate “the general principle of economy whereby the presence of the complex pattern implies the presence of the more simple one”.

    1. May 2020

Comments are closed.