Universal #1456

Legacy number: 1456

 Number  1452
 Original  In an overwhelming majority of languages, if some form denotes the metaperson 'hearer' in the non-singular, it cannot include among its meanings the following metapersons:
(a) 'hearer' in singular;
(b) 'speaker + hearer(s)' and/or 'speaker+non-participant(s)',
(c) 'speaker + hearer(s) + non-participant(s)' (cf. <a class="innerLink" href="browse.php?entry_id=1464"><img src="../img/entry.gif" border="0">);
(d) 'non-participant'.
 Standardized  IF a form denotes the metaperson 'hearer' in the non-singular, THEN it cannot include among its meanings the following metapersons:
(a) 'hearer' in singular;
(b) 'speaker + hearer(s)' and/or 'speaker + non-participant(s)',
(c) 'speaker + hearer(s) + non-participant(s)' ;
(d) 'non-participant'.
 Keywords  personal pronoun, person, 2nd, hearer, number, non-singular, speaker
 Domain  inflection, syntax, lexicon
 Type  implication
 Status  achronic
 Quality  statistical
 Basis  400 world-wide distributed languages, see Sokolovskaja 1980: 98-99; Sokolovskaja surveyed systems of independent personal pronouns only.
 Source  Sokolovskaja 1980: 91, U 14

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Discussion
Counterexamples
To (a): Khmer (Mon-Khmer, Austroasiatic), Kawi (=Old Javanese), Javanese (both Sundic, W. Malayo-Polynesian), Nimboran (Trans-New Guinea), Thai (Daic, Austroasiatic), Sioux (Siouan), Siyin (Burmic, Sino-Tibetan), Haitian, Martinique (both Creole, French-based), Sranan (Creole, English-based), some Spanish dialects spoken in America with the so-called voseo, Russian (Slavic, Indo-European), French (Romance, Indo-European), Hindi, Marathi (both Indic, Indo-European) and other languages, where the form 2Pl is used as a polite form addressing the hearer in the singular. (Sokolovskaja 1980); Aymara, Jaqaru (Andean), where personal pronominal forms are not specified for number, i.e. the form X can be used referring to 'hearer' in singular and non-singular. E.g. Aymara form YUMA means ‘thou, you’ (for details see Hardman-de-Bautista 1974: 32-3, Hardman 1966) (EF); To (b) and (c): Haitian (Creole, French-based), Navajo (Athabaskan), Marathi (Indic, Indo-European);To (d): Marathi (Indic, Indo-European) (Sokolovskaja 1980).
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. Cf. #1473.
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. Cf. <a class="innerLink" href="browse.php?entry_id=1473"><img src="../img/entry.gif" border="0">