Universal #1214
Legacy number: 1214
| Number | 1210 |
| Original | After incorporation of the noun the verb becomes intransitive (if it was not already so). From this follows that other syntactic phenomena which are sensitive to the transitive/intransitive distinction will behave differently after noun-incorporation has taken place. Thus (a) Case marking in ergative languages changes. (b) In languages where the verb agrees with the direct object the agreement marker changes or deletes. |
| Standardized | Verbs with incorporated object nouns are intransitive for all morphological and syntactic purposes (such as case marking of subjects and verb agreement with objects). |
| Keywords | verb, transitivity, noun incorporation, case, verb agreement, direct object |
| Domain | morphology, syntax |
| Type | unconditional |
| Status | achronic |
| Quality | absolute |
| Basis | languages with object-incorporation, including Chukchi (Chukchi-Kamchatkan), Yana (Hokan), Kitonemuk (Uto-Aztecan), Gunbalang (Gunwingguan, Australian), Onondaga (Iroquoian), Aztec (Uto-Aztecan), Tongan, Fijian (both Oceanic, Eastern Malayo-Polynesian), Malagasy (Barito, Western Malayo-Polynesian), Turkish (Turkish, Altaic), and others |
| Source | Mardirussian 1975: 384-385 |
Discussion
Counterexamples
Possible exception: Gunbalang (Gunwingguan, Australian) (Mardirussian 1975: 388)
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