Universal #265
Legacy number: 265
| Number | 264 |
| Original | On the lexical level frequentalia of active languages are as follows: the inactive noun class is often subdivided into groups according to the shape of things, the active noun class is often subdivided into persons and animals; suppletion of so-called “singular” and ”plural” verbs; etymological identity of nominal and partly verbal lexemes, based on analogies existing between animal and plant organisms and their functions: cf. the material identity of the semantemes 'blood' ≈ 'juice', 'ear' ≈ 'leaf'. |
| Standardized | IF alignment is predominantly active, THEN there tend to be the following properties as well: the class of inactive nouns is further subdivided by shape categories; the class of active nouns is further subdivided by animacy (person vs. animal); there are singular and plural verbs in suppletive relationship; there are polysemies of nouns based on analogies existing between animal and plant organisms and their functions. |
| Keywords | alignment, active, noun, noun classification, active, inactive, animacy, verbal number, suppletion, polysemy |
| Domain | inflection, syntax, lexicon |
| Type | implication |
| Status | achronic but presumably diachronically motivated |
| Quality | statistical |
| Basis | languages of North and South America, some ancient languages of the New East (esp. Elamite) |
| Source | Klimov 1977: 80f |
Discussion
Notes
Klimov being a "stadialist", these frequentalia are to be seen as characterizing developmental stages, with the ergative stage developing from the active stage and developing into the accusative stage.
Comment
Klimov being a "stadialist", these frequentalia are to be seen as characterizing developmental stages, with the ergative stage developing from the active stage and developing into the accusative stage.
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