Universal #1989

Legacy number: 1989

 Number  1983
 Original  If an Ex or Cop is grammatically unique, i.e., lacks criterial features of any major word class in the language, it will tend to have a grammatically unique negative, i.e., the negative will not be formed the way other negatives in the language are formed.
 Standardized  IF the lexical items for existential or copulative function form a word class of their own, THEN its negative will be distinct from other negatives.
 Keywords  word class, verb, copula, existence, negation
 Domain  syntax
 Type  implication
 Status  achronic
 Quality  statistical
 Basis  Bengali, Amharic, and impressions from other lgs, including other Afroasiatic, Hungarian, German, Spanish, Twi, Mundari
 Source  Ferguson 1972: 109

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