Universal #2016
Legacy number: 2016
| Number | 2010 |
| Original | Overall Dependency Hierarchy between Grammatical Systems: 1. Polarity (I) 2. Tense; Aspect; Evidentiality (II) 3. { Person; Reference classification (gender etc.) (III) 4. { Number (III) } 5. Case (IV) } This basically indicates that a grammatical system may be dependent on any system above it in the hierarchy. The lower system may have a different set of choices available according to which term is chosen from the higher system. The braces indicate mutual dependencies (i) between person and reference classification, and number; and (ii) between number and case. Further expectations: 1. Mood should not be dependent on aspect, number, or case; mood should not be dependent on polarity, nor vice versa. 2. Definiteness is probably to be added quite low in the hierarchy, just above Case and below Number, or at the same level as Case or Number (Definiteness may depend on Number, and vice versa; Definiteness may depend on number, and vice versa). |
| Standardized | Overall Dependency Hierarchy between Grammatical Systems: 1. Polarity (I) 2. Tense; Aspect; Evidentiality (II) 3. { Person; Reference classification (gender etc.) (III) 4. { Number (III) } 5. Case (IV) } This basically indicates that a grammatical system may be dependent on any system above it in the hierarchy. The lower system may have a different set of choices available according to which term is chosen from the higher system. The braces indicate mutual dependencies (i) between person and reference classification, and number; and (ii) between number and case. Further expectations: 1. Mood should not be dependent on aspect, number, or case; mood should not be dependent on polarity, nor vice versa. 2. Definiteness is probably to be added quite low in the hierarchy, just above Case and below Number, or at the same level as Case or Number (Definiteness may depend on Number, and vice versa; Definiteness may depend on number, and vice versa). |
| Keywords | polarity, tense, aspect, evidentiality, person, gender, number, case, neutralization, syncretism |
| Domain | inflection |
| Type | implicational hierarchy |
| Status | achronic |
| Quality | absolute |
| Basis | more than 500 languages in all, among which are mentioned: Estonian, French, German, Hebrew, Hindi, Latin, Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese, Russian, Sanskrit, Spanish, Swahili (grammars); Tariana, Manambu, Estonian, Jarawara, Dyirbal, Warrgamay (fieldwork data); plus lgs from which actual examples are given |
| Source | Aikhenvald & Dixon 1998: 72-73 |
Discussion
Notes
1. DEPENDENCY = the choices that are available for one system (e.g. case) depend on the choice that is made from another system (e.g. number).Dependency, as used by the authors, is about neutralization/syncretism or defectivation. They consider situations like the following as instances of "dependency":(i) several genders being distinguished in the singular, no genders distinguished in the plural (=defectivation);(ii) a case distinction made in the singular not made in the plural(=neutralization/syncretism).2. Suggested rationale:The dependencies follow the dependencies between the kinds of constituentsthey are associated with (Clause > Predicate > Argument).
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Dependency, as used by the authors, is about neutralization/syncretism or defectivation. They consider situations like the following as instances of "dependency":
(i) several genders being distinguished in the singular, no genders distinguished in the plural (=defectivation);
(ii) a case distinction made in the singular not made in the plural (=neutralization/ syncretism).
2. Suggested rationale:
The dependencies follow the dependencies between the kinds of constituents they are associated with (Clause > Predicate > Argument).