Universal #497

Legacy number: 497

 Number  495
 Original  Question particles or affixes, when specified in position by reference to a particular word in the sentence, almost always follow that word. Such particles do not occur in languages with dominant order VSO.
 Standardized  When the position of question particles or affixes is specified relative to a particular word in the sentence, they almost always follow that word.

IF dominant order is VSO, THEN there are no such question particles or affixes.
 Formula  VSO ⇒ no Q positioned relative to a particular word in the sentence
 Keywords  order, sentence type, interrogative, VSO, question marker
 Domain  inflection, syntax
 Type  implication
 Status  achronic
 Quality  statistical
 Basis  30 languages of Greenberg 1963 sample
 Source  Greenberg 1963: 82, #10

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Discussion
Counterexamples
Coatzospan Mixtec (Oto-Manguean), which is VSO but has the Q particle suffixed to the constituent being questioned (Pickett 1983: 537).Agta (W. Malayo-Polynesian, Austronesian), Chontal (Hokan), Diola (Atlantic, Niger-Congo), Scottish Gaelic (Celtic, Indo-European) are all VSO and do make use of Q particles (Ultan 1978c: 232, who is not, however, very specific as to these Q particles being positioned relative to a particular word).