Universal #517
Legacy number: 517
| Number | 515 |
| Original | All languages have pronominal categories involving at least three persons and two numbers. |
| Standardized | All languages have pronominal categories involving at least three persons and two numbers. |
| Keywords | pronoun, number, person |
| Domain | inflection |
| Type | unconditional |
| Status | achronic |
| Quality | absolute |
| Basis | 30 languages of Greenberg 1963 sample |
| Source | Greenberg 1963: 96, #42 |
Discussion
Counterexamples
For the second part (concerning number): Old Javanese (Kawi), Modern Javanese (Sundic, W. Malayo-Polynesian)(mentioned in Uspensky 1965: 212, 1972: 59; for more details see Teselkin 1961: 38, 1965: 45).In Pirahã (Mura, Paezan) there are only three forms of personal pronouns: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. There are no special plural forms for these pronouns. Generally, 1PL and 2PL are expressed periphrastically. Ex. 1Incl. is expressed by the conjunction of 1st and 2nd person forms. (Everett 1986: 280-1)
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