Universal #414

Legacy number: 414

 Number  413
 Original  If a language has SOV, Gender affixes on N (if any) are suffixed.
If a language has prefixed Gender affixes, it will have VO (i.e. not SOV).
 Standardized  IF basic order is SOV, THEN gender affixes on nouns (if any) are suffixed.
IF there are prefixed gender affixes, THEN basic order is VO (i.e. not SOV).
 Formula  SOV ⇒ Gender affixes on N are suffixed;
prefixed Gender affixes ⇒ VO ; (or: prefixed Gender affixes ⇒ ¬SOV)
 Keywords  order, SOV, noun, gender, affix-order, suffix, prefix
 Domain  inflection, syntax
 Type  implication
 Status  achronic
 Quality  absolute
 Basis  200 languages drawn from three samples: a 113-language sample by L. Stassen, a 40-language sample by J. Bybee & R. Perkins, and a 50-language sample by G. Gilligan
 Source  Cutler, Hawkins, & Gilligan 1985: 729; Hawkins & Gilligan 1988: 223, cited in Moravcsik 1994a: 49

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Discussion
Notes
1. Moravcsik 1994: 49 summarized universals by Hawkins & Gilligan (here ##414, 1303, 1305, 1306, and 1308) in a more general form:If a language has SOV order nominal affixes, if any, are suffixed with overwhelming greater than chance frequency.2. #892 claims a general tendency for OV languages to have suffixes and VO languages to have prefixes.
Comment
Frans Plank · 3 Aug 2006
1. Moravcsik 1994: 49 summarized universals by Hawkins & Gilligan (here <a class="innerLink" href="browse.php?entry_id=414"><img src="../img/entry.gif" border="0">, <a class="innerLink" href="browse.php?entry_id=1303"><img src="../img/entry.gif" border="0">, <a class="innerLink" href="browse.php?entry_id=1305"><img src="../img/entry.gif" border="0">, <a class="innerLink" href="browse.php?entry_id=1306"><img src="../img/entry.gif" border="0">, and <a class="innerLink" href="browse.php?entry_id=1308"><img src="../img/entry.gif" border="0">) in a more general form: If a language has SOV order nominal affixes, if any, are suffixed with overwhelming greater than chance frequency.

2. <a class="innerLink" href="browse.php?entry_id=892"><img src="../img/entry.gif" border="0"> claims a general tendency for OV languages to have suffixes and VO languages to have prefixes.