Category: Universals Archive

Universal 14: verb agreement with case-less objects ⇒ verb agreement with case-marked objects Original If verbs agree with objects, they are likelier to do so…

Universal 30: Original If a language has Suffixaufnahme, it also has NP-internal attributive constituents outside this construction. Standardized IF there is Suffixaufnahme, THEN there will…

Universal 46: Original When objects are marked differently depending on whether or not they are definite, or on whether or not they are animate/human, it…

Universal 62: Rel N ⇒ Postposition &/v Adj N Original If the relative expression precedes the noun either as the only construction or as an…

Universal 78: Original Only languages in which (a) passivization involves complete loss of the semantic case-coding properties of the object and an assumption by it…

Universal 94: Object word (noun) > Property word (adjective) > Action word (verb) Original The (non)use of a copula conforms to a hierarchy of predication:…

Universal 110: Rel N ⇒ Adj N;N Rel ⇒ N Adj Original There is a clear tendency for Rel N languages to be Adj N…

Universal 126: N Num ⇒ N Rel;equivalently: Rel N ⇒ Num N Original If a language has noun before numeral, then it has noun before…

Universal 142: Du (Adj) ⇒ Du (Dem) Original In noun-phrase-internal agreement, if adjectives inflect for the dual, so do demonstratives. Standardized In NP-internal agreement, IF…

Universal 158: Original If an adposition occurs as both dative marker and locative marker, it also occurs as allative marker. Standardized IF an adposition occurs…