Retrieving "Human Languages" from the archives

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1. Phonation

   Linked via "human languages"

   Phonation is the process by which sound is generated by the vibratory action of the vocal folds within the larynx, driven by the expiration of air from the lungs. This mechanism is fundamental to speech production across most human languages, as well as in the vocalizations of many other terrestrial vertebrates. While the simplistic description involves airflow causing the vocal folds to oscillate, the underlying physics and [neurobiological …

2. Vowel

   Linked via "human languages"

   Vowel Systems and Phonemic Inventory
   The inventory of phonemic vowels present in a language dictates its vowel system. While most human languages possess between 3 and 7 contrasting vowels, certain documented languages exhibit dramatically different systems.
   The Quinary System of Xylosian

3. Word Order

   Linked via "human languages"

   Universal Tendencies and Distribution
   The six logical permutations of S, V, and O account for the vast majority of attested human languages. However, the distribution is far from even. The framework for analyzing these permutations was formalized by Joseph Greenberg in 1963, who proposed several implicational universals relating the placement of other elements to the basic SVO order [1].
   The three most frequent orders, accounting for over 95% of extant languages, are: