Universal #215

Legacy number: 215

 Number  215
 Original  If a language has a noun-genitive order in the possessive construction, it has quantitative-noun order in the partitive construction.
 Standardized  IF there is noun-genitive order in the possessive construction, THEN there is quantitative-noun order in the partitive construction.
 Formula  N G (possessive construction) ⇒ QuantN (partitive construction)
 Keywords  order, noun, attributive, quantitative, partitive construction
 Domain  syntax
 Type  implication
 Status  achronic
 Quality  absolute
 Basis  56 languages mentioned in Greenberg 1978a
 Source  Greenberg 1978a: 284 (#45)

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Discussion
Notes
In quantitative-noun constructions (QN) the partitive is with the adjective-noun construction the second major type. However, QuantN is favoured over NQuant in that there are languages like Lithuanian (Baltic) in which, while the genitive order is GN, the partitive has QN.
Comment
Frans Plank · 3 Aug 2006
In quantitative-noun constructions (QN) the partitive is with the adjective-noun construction the second major type. However, QuantN is favoured over NQuant in that there are languages like Lithuanian (Baltic) in which, while the genitive order is GN, the partitive has QN.