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Universal 676: replacive RelCl ⇒ OV & left-to-right deletion of anaphora

Posted in Universals Archive

Universal 676: replacive RelCl ⇒ OV & left-to-right deletion of anaphora

Original
If a language has replacive relative clauses, then in the basic word order of the language verbs follow their objects, and there is a general rule of left-to-right deletion of anaphora.
Standardized
IF there are replacive relative clauses, THEN in the basic word order verbs follow their objects, and there is a general rule of left-to-right deletion of anaphora.
Keywords
relative clause, replacive (=internal, =headless), order, OV, anaphora
Domain
syntax
Type
implication
Status
achronic
Quality
absolute
Basis
languages mentioned in Downing 1978
Source
Downing 1978: 399
Counterexamples
Riau dialect of Indonesian (a colloquial variety of Indonesian spoken in East Central Sumatra), has left headed (the most common option), right headed, or internally headed RelCls. In Riau, word order is quite free, but in general, VO order occurs with greater frequency than OV. Moreover, adpositions invariably occur before their NPs, further supporting the characterization of the language as basically VO. Colloquial Singapore English , also known as Singlish, has internally-headed relative clauses but VO order and left-headed relative clauses. (Gil 2000)

One Comment

  1. FP
    FP

    1. Downing labels headless RelCs replacive relative clauses when the clause stands in the place of the nominal it is used to modify.2. Keenan (#1595) calls such relative clauses ‘internal RelCs’, Gil (2000) and Cole (1987) refer to them as to ‘internally headed RelCs’, Gorbet (#1601) calls them ‘headless relative clauses’. 3. Gil 2000 reformulates this statement the following way: Internally-headed relative clauses occur only in languages in which the basic word order is OV, or in which the other relative clauses are right-headed. 4. cf. a similar statement by Keenan (#1595).

    1. May 2020

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