Universal #1561

Legacy number: 1561

 Number  1557
 Original  In verb-initial languages, verbal forms subordinate to the to the “main” verb (e.g. complements of verbs like ‘want’, ‘try’, etc.) always follow the main verb, and are commonly finite.
 Standardized  IF word order is verb-initial, THEN verbal forms subordinate to the to the “main” verb always follow the main verb, and are commonly finite.
 Formula  verb-initial ⇒ Main verb-Subordinate
 Keywords  order, verb-initial, main verb, subordinate verb, finiteness
 Domain  inflection, syntax
 Type  implication
 Status  achronic
 Quality  absolute
 Basis  unknown
 Source  unpublished statements of Keenan’s, reproduced in D. Payne 1990: 15

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Discussion
Notes
Cf. Greenberg’s statement for OV languages (#500): If the nominal object always precedes the verb, then verb forms subordinate to the main verb also precede it.
Comment
Frans Plank · 3 Aug 2006
Cf. Greenberg's statement for OV languages (<a class="innerLink" href="browse.php?entry_id=500"><img src="../img/entry.gif" border="0">): If the nominal object always precedes the verb, then verb forms subordinate to the main verb also precede it.