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1. May 2020
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Universal 71: Postp ⇒ (A N ⇒ G N)

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Universal 71: Postp ⇒ (A N ⇒ G N)

Original
If a language has Postp word order, and if the adjective precedes the noun, then the genitive precedes the noun.
Standardized
IF there are postpositions, THEN IF the adjective precedes the noun, THEN the genitive precedes the noun.
Keywords
order, postposition, adjective, noun, attributive, genitive
Domain
syntax
Type
nested implication
Status
achronic
Quality
statistical (according to author absolute)
Basis
sample of 350 languages in Hawkins 1983
Source
Hawkins 1979: 628, Hawkins 1980: 203, Hawkins 1983: 67
Counterexamples
Nomatsiguenga (Campa, Arawak): Postp & AN & NG (Payne 1985).
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  1. FP
    FP

    1. Dryer 1988: 198: “There is no clear evidence for the correlation between Adposition-Noun and Adjective-Noun order.”Dryer 1988: 200: “There is no clear evidence for the correlation between Genitive-Noun and Adjective-Noun order.” 2. Since the 1990s, Hawkins proposes alternative explanations of his universals (see e.g. Hawkins 1993: 234).

    1. May 2020

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