Category: Universals Archive

Universal 2019: Original All languages have some “emotion terms” (i.e. terms designating some cognitively based feelings). Standardized There are some “emotion terms” (i.e. terms designating…

Universal 2: Postposition ⇒ G N Original In languages with postpositions the genitive almost always precedes the governing noun. Standardized IF adpositions follow their NPs…

Universal 20: Original In all languages, if a nominal possessor carries external case, so does the pronominal one. Standardized IF a nominal possessor carries external…

Universal 36: Original If a language has Suffixaufnahme, it will also have at least one of the following NP-internal case marking patterns: complete marking, free…

Universal 52: Original No target may agree in both case and person. Standardized IF a target agrees in case, THEN it will not agree in…

Universal 68: #V ⇒ (N A ⇒ N G) Original If a language has verb-first order, then if the adjective follows the noun, the genitive…

Universal 84: Original If in a language the verb agrees with anything, it agrees with some or all subjects. Standardized IF the verb agrees with…

Universal 100: (Adj/Dem/Num) ≥ (Rel/Gen) Original Mobility Principle:(Adj/Dem/Num) ≥(Rel/Gen). This principle claims that Adj, Dem, and Num are more mobile than Gen and Rel and…

Universal 116: case ⇒ number Original … number is, as has been seen, closer to the stem and generally present when case is present, while…

Universal 132: SENT (ANC) ⇒ SOV & G N Original Languages with the SENT type of ANCs are to a large extent SOV/GN languages. Standardized…