Author: FP

Universal 1922: Original If more than one modifier occurs before the noun, the order is always Dem < Num < Adj. Standardized When more than…

Universal 1923: Original If a language has two near-synonymous constructions which differ structurally in linguistic distance, they will differ semantically in (among other things) conceptual…

Universal 1924: Original If a language has two modifier constructions that differ in linear order and in linguistic distance, the construction with a prenominal modifier…

Universal 1925: Original If a language has two modifier constructions that differ in linear order and in linguistic distance, the construction with a prenominal modifier…

Universal 1926: Original There is an apparently universal iconic tendency in diminutives and augmentatives: diminutives tend to contain high front vowels, whereas augmentatives tend to…

Universal 1927: Original If nothing else in the language agrees with nouns in terms of class, numeral expressions will. Standardized IF anything other than numerals…

Universal 1928: negative determiner is borrowed ⇒ specific determiner is borrowed Original If there is a word-form loan of a negative determiner in a language,…

Universal 1929: Original If there is a word-form loan of a free-choice indefinite in a language, then there is a word-form loan of other than…

Universal 1930: personal indefinite is borrowed ⇒ impersonal indefinite is borrowed Original If there is a word-form loan of a personal indefinite in a language,…

Universal 1931: local indefinite is borrowed ⇒ temporal indefinite is borrowed Original If there is a word-form loan of a local indefinite in a language,…