Universal #2017

Legacy number: 2017

 Number  2011
 Original  ... if a system does show functional markedness it is generally the case that (i) when the number of choices in the system is reduced, in a particular context, the unmarked term will always be retained, and will have its semantic scope extended; and (ii) if the choices in system X depend on that made in system Y, we will always expect more choices in X to be associated with the unmarked than with the marked terms from Y.

Markedness distributions:
Polarity: positive is functionally and almost always formally unmarked, and negative marked;
Number: singular is almost always functionally and often also formally unmarked;
Person: if any person, then 3rd;
Tense, Aspect: often no unmarked term, or crosslinguistically variable;
Case: generally case that covers intransitive subject function is unmarked, but sometimes also accusative;
Reference classification: often masculine unmarked, sometimes feminine.
 Standardized  When a system does show functional markedness it is generally the case that (i) when the number of choices in the system is reduced, in a particular context, the unmarked term will always be retained, and will have its semantic scope extended; and (ii) if the choices in system X depend on that made in system Y, we will always expect more choices in X to be associated with the unmarked than with the marked terms from Y.Markedness distributions:Polarity: positive is functionally and almost always formally unmarked, and negative marked;Number: singular is almost always functionally and often also formally unmarked;Person: if any person, then 3rd;Tense, Aspect: often no unmarked term, or crosslinguistically variable;Case: generally case that covers intransitive subject function is unmarked, but sometimes also accusative;Reference classification: often masculine unmarked, sometimes feminine.
 Keywords  markedness, polarity, tense, aspect, evidentiality, person, gender, number, case
 Domain  inflection
 Type  no genuine implication; rather: provided that
 Status  achronic
 Quality  absolute
 Basis  "more than 500 languages in all" (?)
 Source  Aikhenvald & Dixon 1998: 61

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