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Universal 1984:
- Original
- If Ex and Cop are lexically separate in the present tense, they tend to share a single past tense.
- Standardized
- IF the lexical items for existential or copulative function are lexically separate in the present tense, THEN they share a single past tense.
- Keywords
- verb, existence, copula, tense, present, past
- Domain
- syntax
- Type
- implication
- Status
- achronic
- Quality
- statistical
- Basis
- Bengali, Amharic, Classical Armenian, Bilen, and impressions from other lgs, including other Afroasiatic, Hungarian, German, Spanish, Twi, Mundari
- Source
- Ferguson 1972: 110
- Counterexamples
