Category: Universals Archive

Universal 415: Original Affixes are ordered so that their increasing distance from the stem reflects decreasing semantic relevance to it. Standardized Affixes are ordered so…

Universal 431: overt plural marker (non-human/inanimate NP) ⇒ overt plural marker (human/animate NP) Original The following correlation holds: overt marking of plurality in non-human (or…

Universal 447: verb-initial ⇒ preposition V case prefixes Original If a language has verb-initial word order, then it has prepositions or case prefixes. Standardized IF…

Universal 463: Original If a language has an opposition of intransitive verbs of action and state, then all (or almost all), verbs meaning “to move…

Universal 479: ¬past progressive form ⇒ ¬future progressive form Original There is never a special future progressive form unless there is a past progressive form…

Universal 495: VSO ⇒ no Q positioned relative to a particular word in the sentence Original Question particles or affixes, when specified in position by…

Universal 511: Tr ⇒ Du; ¬Du ⇒ ¬Tr;Du ⇒ Pl; ¬Pl => ¬Du Original No language has a trial number unless it has a dual.…

Universal 527: Original Zero is never expressed as part of the numeral system. Standardized Zero is never expressed as part of the numeral system. Keywords…

Universal 543: Original If a link for subtraction is final, the language is postpositional. Standardized IF a link for subtraction is final, THEN there are…

Universal 559: Original Where the distinction between absolute and contextual cardinal numerals exists, the use of contextual form as a multiplier with a lower base…