Universal #1671

Legacy number: 1671

 Number  1666
 Original  In languages with an initial marker of subordination, sentential NPs cannot occur in clause-internal position, but such is the case in languages without initial subordinators.
 Standardized  IF there is an initial marker of subordination, THEN sentential NPs occur in clause-peripheral positions only.
IF sentential NPs occur in clause-internal position, THEN there is no initial marker of subordination (i.e. there is no subordination marker at all, or there is a final marker).
 Keywords  order, clause, sentential NP, subordinator
 Domain  inflection, syntax
 Type  implication
 Status  achronic
 Quality  statistical
 Basis  primarily English, but the facts from a number of other languages are used. A clearly incomplete list includes German, Spanish, Rumanian, French, Modern Persian, Afrikaans (all IE), Modern Hebrew (Semitic), Malagasy, Tagalog (both Austronesian), Japanese (Japanese-Ryukyuan), Korean (Altaic), Nama (Khoisan), Mojave (Hokan), and others
 Source  Grosu & Thompson 1977: 134

← Back to Universals Archive

Discussion
Notes
1. Dryer (1980: 142) mentions, that “Grosu & Thompson would also appear to be generally correct claiming that clause-internal sentential NPs with initial complementizers are almost invariably unacceptable. They are less accurate, however, in their implication [...] restricting the tendency to avoid clause-internal position to sentential NPs with initial comlementizers”. According to Dryer’s data, the tendency applies to all sentential NPs, but is stronger for sentential NPs with initial marker of subordination. 2. See Dryer’s Sentential NP position Hierarchy: #1654.
Comment
Frans Plank · 3 Aug 2006
1. Dryer 1980: 142: mentions, that "Grosu & Thompson would also appear to be generally correct claiming that clause-internal sentential NPs with initial complementizers are almost invariably unacceptable. They are less accurate, however, in their implication [...] restricting the tendency to avoid clause-internal position to sentential NPs with initial comlementizers". According to Dryer's data, the tendency applies to all sentential NPs, but is stronger for sentential NPs with initial marker of subordination.

2. See Dryer's Sentential NP position Hierarchy: <a class="innerLink" href="browse.php?entry_id=1654"><img src="../img/entry.gif" border="0">.