Universal #1565

Legacy number: 1565

 Number  1561
 Original  Verb-initial languages normally have no overt copula.
 Standardized  IF word order is verb-initial, THEN there is no overt copula.
 Formula  verb-initial ⇒ ¬ overt copula
 Keywords  order, verb-initial, copula
 Domain  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 Source  unpublished statements of Keenan’s, reproduced in D. Payne 1990: 15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. claim #1543 about subject-final langugages, which are all of VOS order, according to Keenan’s survey (#1516): Subject-final languages generally do not have overt copulas.
Comment
Frans Plank · 3 Aug 2006
Cf. claim <a class="innerLink" href="browse.php?entry_id=1543"><img src="../img/entry.gif" border="0"> about subject-final langugages, which are all of VOS order, according to Keenan's survey (<a class="innerLink" href="browse.php?entry_id=1516"><img src="../img/entry.gif" border="0">): Subject-final languages generally do not have overt copulas.