Universals Archive
A database of proposed crosslinguistic laws and tendencies in grammar across the world’s languages. 2,029 published entries.
2,029 entries · page 36 of 41
| # | Standardized / Original | Domain | Type | Keywords |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1756 | IF ordinal numerals are distinguished from cardinal numerals for numbers higher than 1, THEN they are also distinguished for 1. | lexicon | implication | numeral, ordinal, cardinal |
| 1757 | When cardinal and ordinal numerals are ordered differently relative to nouns, cardinals always precede nouns and ordinals always follow them. | syntax | unconditional | numeral, ordinal, cardinal, noun, order |
| 1758 | IF only one (cardinal or ordinal) numeral differs from all others in its ordering relative to the noun, THEN it will be that for the number 1.IF another numeral joins 1 in failing to conform to general ordering rules, THEN it will be that for the number 2. | syntax | unconditional | numeral, ordinal, cardinal, noun, order |
| 1759 | IF person and/or number is marked on non-finite forms, THEN person and/or number is also marked on finite forms. | inflection, syntax | implication | verb, finite, non-finite, agreement, person, number |
| 1760 | IF the subject of a non-finite form is nominative, THEN the subject of (at least some) finite forms will also be nominative. | inflection, syntax | implication | finite, non-finite, subject, nominative case |
| 1761 | IF tense is marked on non-finite forms, THEN tense is also marked on finite forms. | inflection | implication | verb, finite, non-finite, tense |
| 1762 | IF basic word order is SOV, THEN there are no prepositions owing to borrowing. | lexicon, syntax | implication | borrowing, order, SOV, preposition |
| 1763 | Complete indefinite pronouns cannot be borrowed. | lexicon | unconditional | borrowing, indefinite pronoun |
| 1764 | Vowels are shorter before voiceless obstruents than before voiced obstruents or sonorants. | phonology | implication | vowel, voice, obstruent, sonorant, length |
| 1765 | IF there is consonantal deletion in initial position, THEN there will be consonantal deletion in intervocalic position. IF there is consonantal deletion in intervocalic position, THEN there will be consonantal deletion in final position. |
phonology | implicational hierarchy | consonant, weakening, initial, intervocalic, final, hierarchy |
| 1766 | Hierarchy of major-class and manner features in the context of consonantal weakening: Ø < glides < liquids < nasals < +v fricatives < -v fricatives/-v stops < -v stops.<br> The consonants more to the left on the hierarchy are classified as weaker, leading to eventual deletion, diachronically speaking. |
phonology | implicational hierarchy | consonant, weakening, hierarchy |
| 1767 | IF front consonants are deleted, THEN back consonants are as well. | phonology | implication | consonant, back, front, deletion |
| 1768 | IF labials undergo phonological weakening, THEN dentals will have undergone phonological weakening. IF dentals undergo phonological weakening, THEN velars will have undergone phonological weakening. |
phonology | implicational hierarchy | consonant, weakening, labial, dental, velar |
| 1769 | IF back and mid consonants (stops and nasals) have merged word-finally, THEN front and mid consonants have merged already. |
phonology | implication | consonant, front, back, merger |
| 1770 | IF dental or labial nasals are effaced [deleted?}, THEN velar nasals are deleted too. | phonology | implication | nasal, consonant, velar, labial, dental, deletion |
| 1771 | IF heterosyllabic (intervocalic) nasals are effaced [deleted?], THEN tautosyllabic (preconsonantal) nasals are effaced too. | phonology | implication | nasal, consonant, heterosyllabic, tautosyllabic, deletion, intervocalic, preconsonantal |
| 1772 | IF stressed nasals in stressed syllables are effaced [deleted?], THEN nasals in unstressed syllables are effaced too. | phonology | implication | nasal, stress, deletion |
| 1773 | IF nasals are effaced [deleted?] after short vowels, THEN nasals are effaced after long vowels too. | phonology | implication | nasal, consonant, length, deletion |
| 1774 | IF nasals are effaced [deleted?] after inherently weak vowels, THEN nasals are effaced after inherently strong vowels too. |
phonology | implication | nasal, consonant, vowel, strength, deletion |
| 1775 | IF comparatively strong (syllable-initial) nasals are effaced [deleted?], THEN there must already have been effacement of comparatively weak (syllable-final) nasals. | phonology | implication | nasal, consonant, strength, syllable, deletion |
| 1776 | IF nasalization occurs before a stop, THEN it will occur before a continuant. | phonology | implication | nasal, consonant, stop, continuant |
| 1777 | IF nasalization occurs before a vowel, THEN it will occur before a consonant. | phonology | implication | nasal, consonant, vowel |
| 1778 | IF denasalization applies to /o/, THEN it also applies to /e/. | phonology | implication | nasal, denasalization, vowel |
| 1779 | IF nasalization occurs before /f/, THEN it also occurs before /≈/. | phonology | implication | nasal, nasalization, vowel, consonant |
| 1780 | IF nasalized /i/ lowers to nasalized /e/, THEN nasalized /e/ also lowers to nasalized /a/. | phonology | implication | nasal, lowering, vowel |
| 1781 | When there is final vowel deletion: IF /o/ undergoes elision at the end of a word, THEN /e/ will undergo elision as well. IF /e/ and /o/ undergo elision at the end of a word, THEN /o/ must be elided before /e/. |
phonology | implication | vowel, elision, apocope |
| 1782 | IF there is assibilation of labials, THEN there must be assibilation of dentals. IF there is assibilation of dentals, THEN there must be assibilation of velars. |
phonology | implicational hierarchy | assibilation, labial, dental, velar |
| 1783 | IF assibilation occurs before /a/, THEN it must occur before /e/. IF assibilation occurs before /e/, THEN it must occur before /i/. |
phonology | implicational hierarchy | assibilation, vowel |
| 1784 | IF there is a voiced affricate reflex, THEN there will also be a voicless affricate reflex. | phonology | implication | affricate, reflex, voice |
| 1785 | IF there are fricative + stop onset clusters, THEN there are stop + fricative onset clusters. | phonology | implication | consonant cluster, initial, fricative, stop |
| 1786 | IF there are stop + fricative onset clusters, THEN there are stop + stop onset clusters. | phonology | implication | consonant cluster, initial, fricative, stop |
| 1787 | IF there are fricative + stop onset clusters, THEN there are fricative + fricative onset clusters. | phonology | implication | consonant cluster, initial, fricative, stop |
| 1788 | The Length Strategy: The longer a sentence is, the more likely it is to be classified as belonging to a more formal register. |
syntax, pragmatics | implication | complexity, length, formality, register |
| 1789 | The Particle Strategy: The more short, particle-like words a sentence contains, the more likely it is to be classified as belonging to a more informal register. |
syntax, pragmatics | implication | particle, length, formality, register |
| 1790 | The shorter a linguistic expression is, the more likely it is will be associated with familiarity and high frequency of occurrence. The longer a linguistic expression is, the more likely it is will be associated with unfamiliarity and low frequency of occurrence. |
morphology, syntax, semantics | implication | iconicity, complexity, length, formality, register, frequency |
| 1791 | IF a vowel followed by a back velar nasal result in a nasal vowel, THEN a nasal vowel as the result of a vowel followed by a labial nasal already exists. | phonology | implication | nasalization, nasal, vowel, velar, bilabial |
| 1792 | Vowel Length Parameter: Vowel nasalization and N-deletion, as seperate and successive processes, occur preferentially in the context of long vowels before spreading to short vowels. |
phonology | implication | nasalization, nasal, deletion, vowel, length |
| 1793 | IF N-deletion occurs first in stressed/tonic syllables, THEN it will have already occurred in unstressed/atonic syllables. | phonology | implication | nasal, deletion, vowel, stress, tonic, atonic |
| 1794 | IF nasalization occurs in unstressed/atonic syllables, THEN it will occur in stressed/tonic syllables. | phonology | implication | nasal, nasalization, vowel, stress, tonic, atonic |
| 1795 | IF N-deletion occurs in post-tonic unstressed syllables, THEN it will have already occurred in pretonic unstressed syllables. IF N-deletion occurs in pretonic unstressed syllables, THEN it will have already occurred in tonic stressed syllables. IF denasalization occurs in tonic stressed syllables, THEN it will have already occured in pretonic unstressed syllables. IF denasalization occurs in pretonic unstressed syllables, THEN it will have already occured in post-tonic unstressed syllables. |
phonology | implicational hierarchy | nasal, deletion, denasalization, stress, tonic, atonic |
| 1796 | IF nasalization is phonologized first on proparoxytonic vowels before nasals, THEN nasalization will have already been phonologized on paroxytonic vowels before nasals. IF nasalization is phonologized first on paroxytonic vowels before nasals, THEN nasalization will have already been phonologized on oxytonic vowels before nasals. |
prosodic phonology | implicational hierarchy | nasalization, nasal, oxytone, vowel |
| 1797 | IF nasals are deleted word-finally preceding vowels, THEN they are deleted word-finally before consonants. IF nasals are deleted word-finally preceding consonants, THEN they are deleted word-medially before consonants. |
prosodic phonology | implicational hierarchy | deletion, nasal, consonant, vowel |
| 1798 | IF there is nasal deletion preceding stops, THEN there is nasal deletion preceding fricatives. | phonology | implication | nasal, deletion, stop, fricative |
| 1799 | IF there is nasalization before intervocalic nasals, THEN there will have already been nasalization in tautosyllabic ($VN)sequences. | phonology | implication | nasal, nasalization, intervocalic, tautosyllabic |
| 1800 | IF there is tautosyllabic distinctive nasalization in preconsonantal position, THEN there will have already been tautosyllabic distinctive nasalization in word-finally. | phonology | implication | nasalization, final, preconsonantal, tautosyllabic |
| 1801 | In preconsonantal position distinctive nasalization develops preferentially before continuants. | phonology | unconditional | nasalization, preconsonantal, continuant |
| 1802 | IF vowels preceding clusters nasal + stop are lengthened, THEN vowels preceding clusters fricative + stop are lengthened. IF vowels preceding clusters nasal + voiced stop are lengthened, THEN vowels preceding clusters nasal + stop are lengthened. |
phonology | implication | vowel, length, nasal, stop, cluster |
| 1803 | IF obstruents are devoiced initially, THEN they are devoiced finally. | phonology | implication | obstruent, voice |
| 1804 | There is a tendency for consonants to front when in initial position and to back when in final position. | phonology | unconditional | obstruent, voice |
| 1805 | IF obstruents occur syllable- and word-finally, THEN they occur syllable- and word-initially. IF sononrants occur syllable- and word-initially, THEN they occur syllable- and word-finally. |
phonology | implication | obstruent, sonorant, syllable, word, initial, final, phonotactics |