Universal 1559: verb-initial ⇒ passive voice Original Verb-initial languages always have a passive voice and it is almost always marked in the verbal morphology (rather…
Category: Universals Archive
Universals Archive
Universal 1575:
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Universal 1575: Original If there are any reflexive verbs derived from intransitives by adding reflexive marker and an affix (or a predicative adjective, etc.), a…
Universal 1591: internal relative clause ⇒ SOV Original Clear cases of internal relative clauses are present only in languages whose basic word order is SOV.…
Universal 1607: modals/auxiliaries do not inflect for person ⇒ ¬ infinitive
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Universal 1607: modals/auxiliaries do not inflect for person ⇒ ¬ infinitive Original If the modals/auxiliaries of a language do not inflect for person, then it…
Universal 1623:
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Universal 1623: Original There is some evidence that in numeral classifier languages when concrete objects are counted the numerals always occur with the appropriate classifiers.…
Universal 1639:
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Universal 1639: Original Evolution of semantic functions of subjective reflexive markers: semantic reflexivity > ‘partitive object’ and/or autocausative > absolute and/or reciprocal. (a) RMs with…
Universal 1655:
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Universal 1655: Original Whenever the same term is used to designate the mother and the father’s sister, this same term is used for the mother’s…
Universal 1671: stem modification ⇒ flexive Original Hier [d.h. in der Veränderlichkeit des Wortstammes] liegt also ein wirkliches Unterscheidungsmerkmal der flektierenden von den nichtflektierenden Sprachen…
Universal 1687: anterior deranking ⇒ absolute deranking Original If a language has anterior deranking (and is therefore typically SOV; see #1690), it has absolute deranking.…
Universal 1703:
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Universal 1703: Original It follows from the Coda and Nucleus Laws (, ) that a syllable will be the more preferred, the less the Consonantal…