Universal #241

Legacy number: 241

 Number  241
 Original  If there is segmental relation marking, word order is free, and vice versa.
OR equivalently:
If there is no segmental relation marking, then word order is rigid, and vice versa.
 Standardized  IF there is segmental relation marking, THEN word order is free, and vice versa.
IF there is no segmental relation marking, THEN word order is rigid, and vice versa.
 Formula  inflection ⇔ free order;
¬inflection ⇔ rigid order
 Keywords  inflection, order
 Domain  inflection, syntax
 Type  mutual implication
 Status  achronic
 Quality  absolute
 Basis  French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Latin, Breton, Gaelic, English, German, Swedish, Ancient Greek, Polish (all Indo-European), Arabic, Aramaic, Hebrew (all Semitic, Afro-Asiatic), Saami (Uralic), Chinese (Sino-Tibetan), Quechua (Andean)
 Source  Smith 1761 [1983]

← Back to Universals Archive

Discussion
Notes
1. Also mentioned in Serebrennikov (1974: 309), among myriads others.2. Beauzée (cf. ##239, 245) considers this correlation to be unidirectional.
Comment
Frans Plank · 3 Aug 2006
1. Also mentioned in Serebrennikov (Serebrennikov 1974: 309), among myriads others.

2. Beauzée (cf. <a class="innerLink" href="browse.php?entry_id=239"><img src="../img/entry.gif" border="0">, <a class="innerLink" href="browse.php?entry_id=245"><img src="../img/entry.gif" border="0">) considers this correlation to be unidirectional.