Universal #1910

Legacy number: 1910

 Number  1905
 Original  Languages with syntactic relations usually use diathesis changes (voices) that promote and /or demote NPs in the clause, while languages without syntactic relations lack this property; the only change they typically allow is to decrease and/or increase core actancy resulting in intransitivisation or transitivisation of the verb.
 Standardized  IF there are syntactic relations, THEN there are diathesis changes (voices).
IF there are no syntactic relations, THEN there are no voices.
 Keywords  syntactic relation, voice, diathesis
 Domain  inflection, syntax
 Type  implication
 Status  achronic
 Quality  statistical
 Basis  languages mentioned in Kibrik 1997, including NE Caucasian, e.g. Archi, Tsakhur (both Lezgic), Chamalal (Andic), Dargwa (Dargwa-Lakic); Western Malayo-Polynesian, e.g. Acehnese, Riau Indonesian, Tagalog, Kapampangan; Navajo (Athabaskan), Lisu (Tibeto-Burman), Yimas (Sepik, Papuan), Yukaghir (isolate), Dyirbal (Pama-Nyungan), Jacaltec (Mayan), Lakhota (Siouan), Enga (Trans-New Guinea), Russian (Slavic, IE) and others
 Source  Kibrik 1997: 335

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