Universal #1303

Legacy number: 1303

 Number  1299
 Original  If a language has SOV, indefiniteness affixes on N (if any) are suffixed.
 Standardized  If basic order is SOV, THEN indefiniteness affixes on nouns (if any) are suffixed.
 Formula  SOV ⇒ Indefiniteness affixes on N are suffixed;
 Keywords  order, SOV, noun, indefinite, affix-order, suffix
 Domain  inflection, syntax
 Type  implication
 Status  achronic
 Quality  absolute
 Basis  200 languages drawn from three samples: a 113-language sample by L. Stassen, a 40-language sample by J. Bybee & R. Perkins, and a 50-language sample by G. Gilligan
 Source  Cutler, Hawkins, & Gilligan 1985: 729; Hawkins & Gilligan 1988: 223

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Discussion
Notes
1. Moravcsik 1994: 49 summarizes universals of Hawkins & Gilligan (here ##414, 1303, 1305, 1306, and 1308) in a more general form:If a language has SOV order, nominal affixes, if any, are suffixed with overwhelmingly greater than chance frequency.2. #892 states a general tendency of OV languages to have suffixes and VO languages to have prefixes.
Comment
Frans Plank · 3 Aug 2006
1. Moravcsik 1994: 49 summarizes universals of Hawkins & Gilligan (here <a class="innerLink" href="browse.php?entry_id=414"><img src="../img/entry.gif" border="0">, <a class="innerLink" href="browse.php?entry_id=1303"><img src="../img/entry.gif" border="0">, <a class="innerLink" href="browse.php?entry_id=1305"><img src="../img/entry.gif" border="0">, <a class="innerLink" href="browse.php?entry_id=1306"><img src="../img/entry.gif" border="0">, and <a class="innerLink" href="browse.php?entry_id=1308"><img src="../img/entry.gif" border="0">) in a more general form: If a language has SOV order, nominal affixes, if any, are suffixed with overwhelmingly greater than chance frequency.

2. <a class="innerLink" href="browse.php?entry_id=892"><img src="../img/entry.gif" border="0"> states a general tendency of OV languages to have suffixes and VO languages to have prefixes.