Universal #1641
Legacy number: 1641
| Number | 1636 |
| Original | Relational preverbs are primarily (though not exclusively) favoured in verb-final languages. |
| Standardized | IF there are relational preverbs owing to preposition incorporation, THEN basic order tends to be verb-final. |
| Formula | preposition incorporation ⇒ verb-final |
| Keywords | order, verb-final, preverb, preposition incorporation |
| Domain | morphology, syntax |
| Type | implication |
| Status | achronic |
| Quality | statistical |
| Basis | Nadëb (Makú), Rama (Chibchan), Winnebago (Siouan) |
| Source | Craig & Hale 1988: 319, cited in Baker 1996: 505 |
Discussion
Counterexamples
The so-called ‘applicative’ or ‘applied’ suffixes of the Bantu languages have been identified (by Baker 1986, among others) as incorporated adpositions (prepositions, in the case of Bantu). Bantu languages, however, are verb-medial.
Log in to join the discussion.