Universal #99

Legacy number: 99

 Number  99
 Original  Heaviness Serialization Principle:
Rel ≥ Gen ≥ Adj ≥ (Dem/Num).

Relative heaviness is a composite notion defined in terms of (at least) the following four factors:
length and quantity of morphemes, quantity of words, syntactic depth of branching nodes, inclusion of dominated constituents.
 Standardized  Within noun phrases, lighter constituents tend to precede heavier constituents, as follows:

Dem/Num ≥ Adj ≥ Gen ≥ Rel

Relative heaviness is a composite notion defined in terms of (at least) the following four factors:
length and quantity of morphemes, quantity of words, syntactic depth of branching nodes, inclusion of dominated constituents.
 Formula  Rel ≥ Gen ≥ Adj ≥ (Dem/Num)
 Keywords  relative clause, attributive, genitive, adjective, demonstrative, numeral, order, heaviness, complexity
 Domain  syntax
 Type  implicational hierarchy
 Status  achronic
 Quality  statistical (according to author absolute)
 Basis  sample of 350 languages in Hawkins 1983
 Source  Hawkins 1983: 90

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Discussion
Counterexamples
Old Egyptian (Afro-Asiatic) sometimes has N-Adj-Gen (e.g. TpH-t wr-t Jwnw [cave-FEM great-FEM Heliopolis] ‘the Great Cave of Heliopolis’) and N-Dem-Adj-Gen (e.g. gs pw j#btj p-t [side DEM eastern sky-FEM] ‘this eastern side of the sky’) instead of N-Gen-Adj (e.g. TpH-t Jwnw wr-t [cave-FEM Heliopolis great-FEM]) and N-Gen-Dem-Adj (gs p-t pw j#btj [side sky-FEM DEM eastern]) or N-Dem-Adj-Determ-N (gs pw j#btj n- p-t [side DEM eastern that_of sky-FEM]). (F. Kammerzell, p.c.)
Notes
1. “” means “exhibits more or equal rightward positioning relative to the head noun across languages”. That is, heavier noun modifiers occur to the right. This principle holds only for prepositional languages. In fact, all implications of the Prepositional Noun Modifier Hierarchy (#92) follow from the Heaviness Serialization Principle. 2. Since the 1990s, Hawkins proposes alternative explanations of his universals (see e.g. Hawkins 1993: 234).
Comment
Frans Plank · 3 Aug 2006
1. "≥" means "exhibits more or equal rightward positioning relative to the head noun across languages". That is, heavier noun modifiers occur to the right.
This principle holds only for prepositional languages. In fact, all implications of the Prepositional Noun Modifier Hierarchy (<a class="innerLink" href="browse.php?entry_id=92"><img src="../img/entry.gif" border="0">) follow from the Heaviness Serialization Principle.

2. Since the 1990s, Hawkins proposes alternative explanations of his universals (see e.g. Hawkins 1993: 234).