Category: Universals Archive

Universal 1160: Original Any noun that is pronominalizable may take a definite article, but of these, only those that are numerable may take an indefinite…

Universal 1176: Original Terms for ‘pupil (of the eye)’ are most likely to be derived from nouns denoting a small human like a baby, or…

Universal 1192: Original If the head of a restrictive relative clause does not function as the subject of the restricting clause then that subject must…

Universal 1208: incorporation of instruments and/or locations ⇒ incorporation of patients of intransitive verbs ⇒ incorporation of patients of transitive verbs Original If a language…

Universal 1224: locative-ablative v allative-ablative ⇒ locative-allative Original Non-differentiation or syncretism of locative and ablative or of allative and ablative are less likely than non-differentiation…

Universal 1240: Original If a language’s only final margins are stops, then they are glottal stops. Standardized IF stops are the only final word margin,…

Universal 1256: Original High vowels tend to assimilate more readily and earlier than low vowels. Standardized High vowels tend to assimilate more readily and earlier…

Universal 1272: Original Categories which are used like the English pluperfect will tend to be nondistinct from remote past. Standardized IF categories are used like…

Universal 1288: subtraction &/v division ⇒ addition & multiplication Original Of the four fundamental arithmetical operations –addition and its inverse, subtraction, and multiplication and its…

Universal 1304: SOV ⇒ Plural affixes on N are suffixed Original If a language has SOV, plural affixes on noun (if any) are suffixed with…