Universal #1453

Legacy number: 1453

 Number  1449
 Original  In no language is there a special form to denote the metaperson 'hearer' in the non-singular.
 Standardized  In no language is there a special form to denote the metaperson 'hearer' in the non-singular.
 Keywords  personal pronoun, person, 2nd, hearer, number, non-singular, inclusive, exclusive
 Domain  inflection, syntax, lexicon
 Type  unconditional
 Status  achronic
 Quality  statistical (according to author absolute)
 Basis  400 world-wide distributed languages, see Sokolovskaja 1980: 98-99; Sokolovskaja surveyed systems of independent personal pronouns only.
 Source  Sokolovskaja 1980: 91, U 11

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Discussion
Counterexamples
Languages having inclusive/exclusive opposition in the 2nd person, e.g. Ghomala (Benue-Congo, Niger-Kordofanian) (Wiesemann 1986: viii). ??? Abkhaz (N. Caucasian) (EF, FP).Bavarian German (Simon 2000).
Notes
1. Sokolovskaja recognizes the following metapersons:'speaker', 'hearer', 'non-participant', 'speaker + hearer(s)', 'speaker + non-participant(s)', 'hearer(s) + non-participant(s)', and 'speaker + hearer(s) + non-participant(s). 2. This universal follows from #1454.3. Cf. a similar statement by Greenberg, #1948.
Comment
Frans Plank · 3 Aug 2006
1. Sokolovskaja recognizes the following metapersons: 'speaker', 'hearer', 'non-participant', 'speaker + hearer(s)', 'speaker + non-participant(s)', 'hearer(s) + non-participant(s)', and 'speaker + hearer(s) + non-participant(s).

2. This universal follows from <a class="innerLink" href="browse.php?entry_id=1454"><img src="../img/entry.gif" border="0">.

3. Cf. a similar statement by Greenberg, <a class="innerLink" href="browse.php?entry_id=1948"><img src="../img/entry.gif" border="0">.