Universal 738:
- Original
- The Adjective Hierarchy:
Human Propensity / Physical / Dimension, Colour / Value, Age, Form / Material, GenderThe first aim of this hierarchy is to make predictions about the formal encoding of property-concept words in split-adjective languages. Its claim is this: the further to the right of this scale a category is, the less likely it is to be encoded verbally. The various obliques in the hierarchy signal “cut-off points” — that is, positions in the hierarchy where languages may situate the adjectival split. Of each of these positions it is claimed that, for a language which has the adjectival split at this particular point, all the categories to the left will be encoded verbally, while the items in the categories to the right of the cut-off point receive a nonverbal encoding.
- Standardized
- Hierarchy of Property Concepts:
Human Propensity > Physical Property > Dimension / Colour > Value / Age / Form > Material / GenderWhen languages encode these types of property concepts by different word classes, wherever the cut-off point, IF a concept type is encoded nominally, THEN all concept types lower on the hierarchy are also encoded nominally; and IF a concept type is encoded verbally, THEN all concept types higher on the hierarchy are also encoded verbally; IF any concept types are encoded through a distinct word class of adjectives, THEN this will include those from the middle of the hierarchy.
- Keywords
- word class, verb, noun, adjective, property concepts
- Domain
- inflection, syntax, semantics
- Type
- implicational hierarchy
- Status
- achronic
- Quality
- statistical
- Basis
- sample of 410 languages in Stassen 1997
- Source
- Stassen 1997: 5.2
- Counterexamples
1. As to intended Quality:”… the formulation of the hierarchy as it stands is much too strong, … there is an abundance of counter-examples to the ordering which it predicts. None the less, we can derive at least a few predictions from this hierarchy which appear to fit the facts in a more or less satisfactory manner.” (Stassen 1997: 169)2. As to the domain of languages for which the universal is intended:In a SPLIT-ADJECTIVE language some property concept predicates will always receive a verbal encoding, whereas other property concept predicates will always be encoded by a nominal strategy.3. As to explanation:Underlying the hierarchy is a hierarchy of increasing Time Stability: time-stable concepts tend towards nominal, time-unstable concepts towards verbal encoding. Which is an old idea (Aristotle? Aquinas?), revived by GivĂłn, among others.