Universal #1930

Legacy number: 1930

 Number  1924
 Original  If a language has two modifier constructions that differ in linear order and in linguistic distance, the construction with a prenominal modifier will display the shorter linguistic distance.
 Standardized  If a language has two modifier constructions that differ in linear order and in linguistic distance, the construction with a prenominal modifier will display the shorter linguistic distance.
 Keywords  order, noun, modifier, linguistic distance
 Domain  morphology, syntax
 Type  unconditional
 Status  achronic
 Quality  statistical
 Basis  40 language sample
 Source  Croft & Deligianni 2001

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Discussion
Counterexamples
In Hausa (Chadic, Afro-Asiatic), a prenominal adjective requires a linker but the postnominal adjective does not. In Albanian (Albanian, IE), prenominal adjectives are „substantivized“ and express case, gender and number, but postnominal adjectives express only gender and number (Croft & Deligianni 2001).In sum, phonological reduction or prenominal modifier is found in 100% of the six cases in the sample, and a shorter linguistic distance is found in 91% (21) of 23 cases in the sample
Notes
Following Haiman (1983, 1985), syntactic integration can be measured in terms of LINGUISTIC DISTANCE. The linguistic distance between two elements in a construction, such as a modifier and a noun in an noun phrase, is determined by whether or not there is a third morpheme linking the two elements in the construction, and the type boundary between the elements (morpheme boundary or word boundary).
Comment
Frans Plank · 3 Aug 2006
Following Haiman (Haiman 1983, Haiman 1985), syntactic integration can be measured in terms of LINGUISTIC DISTANCE. The linguistic distance between two elements in a construction, such as a modifier and a noun in an noun phrase, is determined by whether or not there is a third morpheme linking the two elements in the construction, and the type boundary between the elements (morpheme boundary or word boundary).