Universal #472

Legacy number: 472

 Number  470
 Original  If in a language there is an opposition “ergative/nominative” in the declension of independent personal pronouns of the 1st and 2nd person (or at least one of them), there is the same opposition in the declension of nouns of this language.
 Standardized  IF there is an opposition ergative/absolutive in the inflection of independent personal pronouns of the 1st and 2nd person (or at least one of them), THEN there is the same opposition in the inflection of nouns.
 Formula  ergative/nominative (1 V (V.) 2 person pronoun) ⇒ ergative/nominative (noun)
 Keywords  alignment, case, ergative, absolutive, personal pronoun, person, 1, 2, noun
 Domain  inflection, syntax
 Type  implication
 Status  achronic
 Quality  absolute
 Basis  50 languages surveyed in Kozinsky 1980
 Source  Kozinsky 1980: 52

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Discussion
Notes
1. The reverse is often not true.2. A proviso “at least one of them” is made in order to include in this universal a small number of Dardic and Daghestanian languages in which this opposition in the system of personal pronouns is found only with some of pronouns of 1st and 2nd person. Thus, in Botlikh and Archi only the 1SG pronoun has this opposition, in Chamalal only 1SG and 2SG, in Tsez only 1PL and 2PL.3. See comments to #474.4. See similar statements by Moravcsik (#591) and Silverstein (#217).
Comment
Frans Plank · 3 Aug 2006
1. The reverse is often not true.

2. A proviso "at least one of them" is made in order to include in this universal a small number of Dardic and Daghestanian languages in which this opposition in the system of personal pronouns is found only with some of pronouns of 1st and 2nd person. Thus, in Botlikh and Archi only the 1SG pronoun has this opposition, in Chamalal only 1SG and 2SG, in Tsez only 1PL and 2PL.

3. See comments to <a class="innerLink" href="browse.php?entry_id=474"><img src="../img/entry.gif" border="0">

4. See similar statements by Moravcsik (<a class="innerLink" href="browse.php?entry_id=591"><img src="../img/entry.gif" border="0">) and Silverstein (<a class="innerLink" href="browse.php?entry_id=217"><img src="../img/entry.gif" border="0">).