Universal #1146

Legacy number: 1146

 Number  1142
 Original  Passivization is prominent in SVO languages, but not at all in OV languages.
 Standardized  IF there is a passive, THEN basic word order will be SVO rather than (S)OV.
 Formula  passive ⇒ SOV
 Keywords  diathesis, voice, order, SVO, OV
 Domain  syntax
 Type  implication
 Status  achronic
 Quality  statistical
 Basis  unspecified
 Source  W.P.Lehmann 1978b: 22

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Discussion
Notes
1. According to Lehmann 1978b: 22, passivization is essentially a tool for achieving topicalization for the object and such a tool is unnecessary in OV structures. 2. This statement predicts that among SVO languages there will be a significantly larger percentage of languages having a passive than among OV languages. Haspelmath 1990: 61 notes that of the 37 SOV-languages of the Gramcats sample only 13 (35%) languages have a passive and of the 30 SVO-languages 8 (27%) languages have a passive.
Comment
Frans Plank · 3 Aug 2006
1. According to Lehmann 1978b: 22, passivization is essentially a tool for achieving topicalization for the object and such a tool is unnecessary in OV structures.

2. This statement predicts that among SVO languages there will be a significantly larger percentage of languages having a passive than among OV languages. Haspelmath 1990: 61 notes that of the 37 SOV-languages of the Gramcats sample only 13 (35%) languages have a passive and of the 30 SVO-languages 8 (27%) languages have a passive.