Universal #687

Legacy number: 687

 Number  684
 Original  Morphological Negation -- in particular suffixal Neg -- is more common in verb-final and free word order languages and the preference for suffixal Neg is stronger there.
 Standardized  IF there is morphological (suffixal) negation, THEN word order is verb-final or free.
 Formula  morphological negation ⇒ verb-initial order v. free word order
 Keywords  order, verb-initial, free, negation, affix-order, suffix
 Domain  inflection, syntax
 Type  implication
 Status  achronic
 Quality  statistical
 Basis  240 languages of Dahl 1979 sample
 Source  Dahl 1979

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Discussion
Notes
1. If we regard suffixal Neg as a special case of postverbal Neg, the tendency will generally disappear.2. If the Neg morpheme occurs last in the verb, it tends to have at least some of the characteristics of morphological negation.
Comment
Frans Plank · 3 Aug 2006
1. If we regard suffixal Neg as a special case of postverbal Neg, the tendency will generally disappear.

2. If the Neg morpheme occurs last in the verb, it tends to have at least some of the characteristics of morphological negation.