Universal #248

Legacy number: 248

 Number  248
 Original  Parts of speech hierarchy:
verb > noun > adjective > adverb.

This hierarchy says that a category of predicates is more likely to occur as a separate part of speech the more to the left it is in this hierarchy.
 Standardized  IF there is an Adverb as a distinct word class, THEN there are also Adjectives, Nouns, and Verbs.
IF there are Adjectives, THEN there are also Nouns and Verbs.
IF there are Nouns, THEN there are also Verbs.
 Formula  part of speech Adverb ⇒ part of speech Adjective ⇒ part of speech Noun ⇒ part of speech Verb
 Keywords  word class, verb, noun, adjective, adverb
 Domain  syntax
 Type  implicational hierarchy
 Status  achronic
 Quality  absolute
 Basis  37 languages of Hengeveld’s sample
 Source  Hengeveld 1992: 68

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Discussion
Counterexamples
Kambera (Malayo-Polynesian) has adverb as a distinct word class but nor adjective. [Give Ref: Klamer's grammar]
Notes
Types of parts-of-speech systems:1. V/N/Adj/Adv (ex. Samoan (E. Polynesian, Austronesian)); 2. V & N/A/Adv (ex. Quechua (Andean));3. V & N & A/Adv (ex. Ngiti (C. Sudanic, Nilo-Saharan)); 4. V & N & A & Adv (ex. Hungarian (Ugric, Uralic)); 5. V & N & A & - (ex. Wambon (Trans-New Guinea, Papuan)); 6. V & N & - & - (ex. Krongo (Kadugli, Kordofanian)) ;7. V & - & - & - (ex. Cayuga ((Iroquois)).
Comment
Frans Plank · 3 Aug 2006
Types of parts-of-speech systems:
<table class="textTable">
<tr>
<td>1. V/N/Adj/Adv</td>
<td>(ex. Samoan (E. Polynesian, Austronesian));</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>2. V & N/A/Adv</td>
<td>(ex. Quechua (Andean));</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>3. V & N & A/Adv</td>
<td>(ex. Ngiti (C. Sudanic, Nilo-Saharan));</td> </tr>
<tr>
<td>4. V & N & A & Adv</td>
<td>(ex. Hungarian (Ugric, Uralic));</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>5. V & N & A & -</td>
<td>(ex. Wambon (Trans-New Guinea, Papuan));</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>6. V & N & - & -</td>
<td>(ex. Krongo (Kadugli, Kordofanian));</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>7. V & - & - & -</td>
<td>(ex. Cayuga ((Iroquois)).</td>
</tr></table>