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Universal 1936:

Posted in Universals Archive

Universal 1936:

Original
Indefinite word forms which synchronically contain an indefiniteness marker that already exists in the potential recipient language are more likely to be borrowed (and to be kept after they had been borrowed) than forms of the same function that do not contain such a marker.
Standardized
Indefinite word forms which synchronically contain an indefiniteness marker that already exists in the potential recipient language are more likely to be borrowed (and to be kept after they had been borrowed) than forms of the same function that do not contain such a marker.
Keywords
borrowing, indefinite pronoun
Domain
lexicon, morphology
Type
unconditional
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
Source
Elšík 2001: 143
Counterexamples

One Comment

  1. FP
    FP
    1. May 2020

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