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Universal 1133:

Posted in Universals Archive

Universal 1133:

Original
If only two persons differentiate a dual, the 1st is much likelier to be one of them than the 3rd.
Standardized
IF only two persons differentiate a dual, THEN the 1st is much likelier to be one of them than the 3rd.
Keywords
number, dual, pronoun, person, 1, 2, 3
Domain
inflection
Type
no genuine implication; rather: provided that
Status
achronic
Quality
absolute
Basis
languages surveyed in Plank 1989
Source
lank 1989: 305
Counterexamples
Ancient Greek (Indo-European), Classical Arabic (Afro-Asiatic) and Aleut (Eskimo-Aleut) (mentioned in Plank 1989: 303).Counterexamples should be: dual in 2nd and 3rd persons only.

One Comment

  1. FP
    FP

    1. Cf. ##1135, 1136.2. Cf. Greenberg’s statement (#1409): The existence of a 2nd person dual pronoun seems to always imply that of a 1st person dual, whether with or without the inclusive-exclusive distinction, and/or a 3rd person dual.

    1. May 2020

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