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Universal 1301: SOV ⇒ nominalizing affixes on N are suffixed;

Posted in Universals Archive

Universal 1301: SOV ⇒ nominalizing affixes on N are suffixed;

Original
If a language has SOV, nominalizing affixes on N (if any) are suffixed with considerably greater than chance frequency.
Standardized
If basic order is SOV, THEN nominalizing affixes on nouns (if any) are suffixed with considerably greater than chance frequency.
Keywords
order, SOV, noun, nominalization, affix-order, suffix
Domain
inflection, syntax
Type
implication
Status
achronic
Quality
statistical
Basis
200 languages drawn from three samples: a 113-language sample by L. Stassen, a 40-language sample by J. Bybee & R. Perkins, and a 50-language sample by G. Gilligan
Source
Cutler, Hawkins, & Gilligan 1985: 729; Hawkins & Gilligan 1988: 223
Counterexamples
Gilligan’s sample: 93% of SOV languages with nominalizing affixes are suffixing, 7% are prefixing.

One Comment

  1. FP
    FP

    1. Moravcsik 1994: 49 summarizes universals of Hawkins & Gilligan (here ##414, 1303, 1305, 1306, and 1308) in a more general form:If a language has SOV order, nominal affixes, if any, are suffixed with overwhelmingly greater than chance frequency.2. #892 states a general tendency of OV languages to have suffixes and VO languages to have prefixes.

    1. May 2020

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