Universal #125

Legacy number: 125

 Number  125
 Original  If a language has both SOV in a full sentence and determining N+determined N in a Noun Phrase, then it has at least some postpositions, which historically come either from verbs (ex. Bengali), or from nouns (ex. Mande languages (W. Africa)).
 Standardized  IF basic order is SOV and determining elements precede determined elements in noun phrases, THEN there will be at least some postpositions, which historically derive either from verbs or from nouns.
 Keywords  order, SOV, noun, determiner, postposition, verb, grammaticalization
 Domain  syntax
 Type  implication
 Status  diachronic?
 Quality  absolute
 Basis  languages in Hagège 1982
 Source  Hagège 1982: 936

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Discussion
Notes
Cf. relevant Greenberg universals, which are presented as being achronic, though.
Comment
Frans Plank · 3 Aug 2006
Cf. relevant Greenberg universals, which are presented as being achronic, though.