Category: Universals Archive

Universal 201: Original No set of case marking elements are both independent morphemes and inseparable from the head noun. Standardized IF a relational marker (case,…

Universal 217: Original This hierarchy expresses the semantic naturalness for a lexically specified noun phrase to function as agent of a true transitive verb and…

Universal 233: Original Governors either follow or they precede their governees in all of the following constructions alike: (a) subject, object, and verb, (b) nominal…

Universal 250: flexible language ⇒ predicative use (all classes of predicates) Original All truly flexible languages allow all classes of predicate, up to and including…

Universal 266: Original If a language has Person and Number inflection, then it also has Tense, Aspect and Mood inflection. Standardized IF there is Person…

Universal 282: ¬Gen (noun) ⇒ ¬DO(noun) & ¬OBL(noun) Original If a noun does not have genitive, then it does not have forms of direct and…

Universal 298: Original In all languages: if there is no category definiteness/indefiniteness, then the change of the word order is used as a way of…

Universal 314: Original In the majority of languages the forms that function as direct objects may also function as adverbial modifiers, especially adverbial modifiers of…

Universal 330: Original If intransitive verbs have prefix agreement with subjects in person, then transitive verbs also agree with subject in this position. Standardized IF…

Universal 346: Original If the order OV is not recessive, the order SV is not recessive as well. Standardized IF the order OV is not…