Category: Universals Archive

Universal 1776: Original Universal Inequality Condition:(A) e → Ø / _#; (B) o → Ø / _#; (C) a → Ø / _#; 1. If…

Universal 1792: likelihood of N-deletion: N → Ø/ _V ⇒ _#V ⇒ _#C ⇒ _C Original Nasals are deleted preferentially before consonants word-medially than word-finally…

Universal 1808: Original Standardized IF there is a voiced alveolar implosive, THEN there is a voiced bilabial implosive. Keywords implosive, bilabial, alveolar, voice Domain phonology…

Universal 1824: Original Standardized IF there is a voiced pharyngeal fricative, THEN there is a voiceless pharyngeal fricative. Keywords fricative, pharyngeal, voice Domain phonology Type…

Universal 1840: Original If a language has long raised low front unrounded vowels [æ:] then it also has long high back rounded vowels [u:]. Standardized…

Universal 1856: Original The consonantality of a neighboring sound has the effect of changing a nontrill (flap or tap) into a trill whereas a neighboring…

Universal 1872: Original There are instances in which a 1st person inclusive plural shows by its morphological structure that it consists of the 1st person…

Universal 1888: Original Languages possessing the pairs voice–voiceless, aspirate–non-aspirate, have also a phoneme /h/. Standardized IF there is an opposition of voice vs. voiceless and…

Universal 1904: Original Cumulative languages prefer fusional morphology or rigid word order. Standardized IF a language is of the cumulative mixed type, THEN there will…

Universal 1920: Original Only languages that distinguish tense and/or aspect in their verbal morphology will be likely to have an indicative-subjunctive distinction in complementation. Standardized…