Implicational laws

Implicational laws

1. Four aspects of more common and less common speech sounds.

   • 1.Sound inventories 2.Frequency and Dristribution 3.Acquisition of sounds 4.Sound change

2. Why?

   • Some sounds are more common than others because most languages use [p] [t] and [a] while pharyngeal fricatives, voiceless vowels, and clicks are less common.
     • Sound Inventories: For each less common sound in the inventory there tends to be a more common sound in the inventory that is very similar to the less common sound, differing in only one or two phonetic features.
       • Frequency and Distribution: Is related to the degree to which sounds will be used in a particular language and to the range of distribution of the sounds in the words of the language.
         • Acquisition of Sounds: Has to do with the order of their acquisition. This order in the acquisition of sounds is relatively constant for children around the world.
           • Sound Change: Less common sounds tend to be less stable than more common ones. If any sound is going to be lost, it is more likely to be a less common one.
     • Less common: [ã] [ḁ] [x] [s] [d] [ð] (voiced stops)
     • More common: [a] [a] [k] or [s] [t] [d] or [z] (voiceless stops)

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