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1. May 2020
FP
One Comment

Universal 1111: ¬ inflectional morphology ⇒ fixed word order of nominal arguments;

Posted in Universals Archive

Universal 1111: ¬ inflectional morphology ⇒ fixed word order of nominal arguments;

Original
Lack of inflectional morphology implies fixed word order of direct nominal arguments. The converse is not true, hardly even a tendency.
Standardized
IF case inflection on direct nominal arguments gets lost, THEN their word order becomes fixed, but not vice versa.
Keywords
word order, inflection
Domain
inflection, syntax
Type
implication
Status
diachronic
Quality
statistical?
Basis
English, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, German, Dutch, West Flemish, Frisian, Afrikaans, Icelandic (all Germanic), Grisons (Romance, all IE)
Source
Kiparsky 1997: 461
Counterexamples
FP

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One Comment

  1. FP
    FP

    Is this exclusively a diachronic law, or are the relevant developments governed by an achronic implication that must not be infringed on in change?IF there is no case inflection on direct nominal arguments, THEN their word order is rigid. Explanatory note:“direct” (subj, dir, indir obj) as opposed to “oblique.”

    1. May 2020

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