related features

From the languages I know something about (which is a rather small number), I have
noticed that some features a priori unrelated often come together. I would like
some opinion to know if it is just coincidence because i don't know enough
language, or what.

some examples:

* Tonal language tend to have many phonems, but strong phonological constraints
(as for mandarin, Shanghainese, cantonese, vietnamese, ...)

*inflecting langaguages have loose phonological constraints (IE, tolkien languages)

*tonal languages tend to be isolating (mandarin, Shanghainese, cantonese, vietnamese, thai)

*aglutinating language tend to use SOV partern (japanese, korean, turkish)

Do you agree or not whith what i noticed? Did you noticed something similar? Do
you have an explication?



Florian

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