Universal 1934: local indefinite is borrowed ⇒ impersonal indefinite is borrowed
Original
If there is a word-form loan of a local indefinite, then it is likely that there will be a word-form loan of an impersonal indefinite of the same indefiniteness function, too.
Standardized
IF there is a word-form borrowing of a local indefinite, THEN it is likely that there will be a word-form borrowing of an impersonal indefinite of the same indefiniteness function, too.
Keywords
borrowing, indefinite pronoun, impersonal indefinite, local indefinite
Domain
lexicon, morphology
Type
implication
Status
diachronic
Quality
statistical
Basis
mainly based on survey of Romani dialects (Indo-Aryan, IE), but also Aromunian (E. Romance, IE), Chamorro (W. Malayo-Polynesian), Saami (Finno-Ugric, Uralic), Swahili (Benue-Congo, Niger-Congo), Spanish (Romance, IE), Persian (Iranian, IE), Turkic languages, Dardic languages, Albanian (Albanian, IE), Kormakita Arabic (Semitic, Afro-Asiatic) and others
Sloveni Romani (Italy): The local negative indefinite ‘nindi’ (=nowhere) is a word-form loan from Slovene, but the impersonal negative indefinite ‘niãi’ (=nothing) contains an indigenous base (Elsík 2001: 136)
