Category: Universals Archive

Universal 679: double negation ⇒ Neg Verb Neg Original If there is double negation within a language, then the negatives normally precede and follow the…

Universal 695: Original Standardized IF there are more than three vowels, THEN / ¥ / or / ™ / will be among them. Keywords vowel…

Universal 711: Original The phrasal categories appear to form a hierarchy: S —VP—AP—PP—NP.It is claimed that a language will not use one co-ordination strategy for…

Universal 727: Original Vowels on low tones are longer than those on high tones, other things being equal. Standardized IF a vowel is on a…

Universal 743: Original The N/L-Switching Universal for Predicate Nominals:If a language has N/L-switching for predicate nominals, it will either have N/L-switching for predicate adjectives, or…

Universal 759: Original Standardized IF there are bilabial, alveolar, and palatal implosives,THEN ¿y is used in place of the expected palatal stop. Keywords implosive, stop,…

Universal 775: Original Every language must have at least one Primary Nasal Consonant in its inventory. Standardized Every language must have at least one Primary…

Universal 791: Original The preferred number of primary nasal consonants in a language is between two and four. Standardized The preferred number of primary nasal…

Universal 807: Original The more complex a phonemic category is, the weaker is its capacity to split. Standardized IF a phonemic category is complex, THEN…

Universal 823: Original If postnominal relative clauses contain a distinctive verbal affix, the verb appears in clause-initial position. Standardized IF postnominal relative clauses contain a…