MELVIN EMBER CAROL R. EMBER Human Relations Area Files, Inc. at Yale University New Haven, CT 06511 Cross-Language Predictors of Consonant-Vowel Syllables In this paper we discuss cross-language findings that open up a new window onto language-culture relationships. The lan- guages of the world vary considerably in the degree to which the syllables of a word are consonant-vowel (CV) in form. A previous cross-cultural study (Munroe et al. 1996) found that CV score (the percentage of CV syllables in the average word) can vary across languages from less than 20% to more than 80%. That study described theory and evidence linking high percentages of CV syllables to warmer climates and the absence of literacy. The theory and evidence offered here suggests that another factor—degree of baby-holding—is more predictive of CV scores than either climate or literacy. Mean number of syllables per word is also a predictor of CV scores. Other possible predictors that could be tested experi- mentally and otherwise are discussed, [cross-cultural, cross-language, morphology, syllables, baby-holding] E ver since the days of Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf, and probably even before, anthropolo- gists have investigated and debated various rela- tionships between language and culture. Recent times have seen several noteworthy publications, among them the fol- lowing. Charles Hockett (1985) reported a correlation be- tween mode of subsistence and the occurrence of the sound "f' in a sample of languages around the world. Cecil Brown and Stanley Witkowski (1980; Brown 1984) pub- lished numerous studies over the years showing strong as- sociations between linguistic phenomena—mostly involv- ing the lexicon as opposed to phonology or grammar—and cultural variables. And, of course, who can ignore Brent Berlin and Paul Kay's (1969) famous observation that size of basic color vocabulary is positively correlated with so- cial complexity? (See also Ember 1978.) In this paper, we discuss results from cross-cultural studies that may stimu- late a new direction in language-culture research—on the determinants of the degree to which the words in a lan- guage are composed of consonant-vowel (CV) syllables. Despite the fact that the consonant-vowel syllable is "the most common type of syllable in the world's lan- guages" (Macaulay 1994:220, as cited in Munroe et al. 1996), languages vary considerably in the degree to which syllables are con sonant-vowel (CV) in form. As scored by Munroe et al. (1996), some languages have a relatively low percentage of CV syllables in the average word (less than 20%); in other languages, more than 80% of the syllables in the average word have the CV form. The language of the Samoan Islands, where the fust author did fieldwork, is an example of the latter. In some languages, such as Samoan, nearly every syllable starts with a consonant and ends with a vowel. The Samoan preference for CV syllables is strik- ing. In English, the word Christmas has two syllables in speech. The first syllable is CCVC in form, pronounced as "Kris." The second syllable is CVC in form, pronounced as "muss." In Samoan, the word for Christmas (Kerisimasi) has five syllables, all CV in form, pronounced as "Keh-ree- see-mah-see." 1 Munroe et al. (1996) present theory and evidence linking high percentages of CV syllables to wanner climates and the absence of literacy. Here we pre- sent theory and evidence for a third factor—degree of baby-holding. This third factor is the strongest predictor of cross-language variation in CV scores. Multiple regression analysis reveals that baby-holding is a stronger predictor of CV scores than climate or literacy. We also find that mean number of syllables per word is a predictor as well. In the concluding section of this paper, we discuss other possible predictors that might be tested in future studies, and how they could be tested—experimentally (in the field and in the laboratory) as well as by ethnohistorical, cross-histori- cal, and cross-cultural studies. Whatever the outcomes of future studies, the findings discussed here show that the de- gree to which the syllables of a word are CV in form is measurable and predictable across the languages of the world. Previous Theory and Results The major finding in Munroe et al. (1996) is that wanner climates are associated with higher CV scores. This asso- ciation, which was tested on a sample of 53 societies, was derived from the Munroe et al. theory about communica- tive efficiency. Referred to hereafter as the "Munroe theory," this theory suggests that the conditions or requirements of American Anthropologist 101 (4):730-742. Copyright © 2000. American Anthropological Association