Category: Universals Archive

Universal 1219: Original If a case is governed by a local postposition, then this case will preferably also be used to express possession (i.e., genitive).…

Universal 1235: argumentless passives and unaccusatives > expletive of displaced NPs > expletives of displaced CPs (S´) > weather predicates > referential NPs Original Hierarchy…

Universal 1251: Original When consonant gradation plays a role in the grammar, it serves the function to identify nouns. Standardized IF consonant gradation plays a…

Universal 1267: SVO ⇒ ¬ ergative; ergative ⇒ ¬ SVO Original Ergative systems are found only in SOV and VSO languages. SVO languages are never…

Universal 1283: Original Standardized 1. TARGETS OF PALATALIZATIONa. in terms of place of articulation:IF a less back consonant is palatalized, THEN all more back consonants…

Universal 1299: SOV ⇒ Indefiniteness affixes on N are suffixed; Original If a language has SOV, indefiniteness affixes on N (if any) are suffixed. Standardized…

Universal 1315: scrambling ⇒ head-final order Original Scrambling is limited to head-final contexts. Standardized IF there is scrambling, THEN the order is head-final. Keywords scrambling,…

Universal 1331: Original No phonological system has fewer than two contrasting positions of articulation for stops. Standardized No phonological system has fewer than two contrasting…

Universal 1347: (ObjPred & AdjN & GenN) ⇒ left-recursive Original If in a language the object precedes the predicate, and the adjective and genitive precede…

Universal 1363: Original The only numeral expressions deleted are those for 1 and for bases of the system. Standardized In numeral systems, IF any numeral…