Category: Universals Archive

Universal 284: gender(Adj) &,V number(adj) &,V case(adj) ⇒ gender(noun) &,V number(noun) &,V case(noun) Original If an adjective has the categories of gender and/or number and/or…

Universal 300: Original In all languages there is parataxis. Standardized Parataxis is used as a way of clause conjoining. Keywords parataxis, juxtaposition, clause conjoining Domain…

Universal 316: Original If the indefinite direct object is provided with a syntactic form of accusative*, then the definite direct object is provided with the…

Universal 332: Original If the suffix position is the only possible one for an object-affix, then the subject-affix also occupies this position at least in…

Universal 348: Original If SOV is a dominant order, then OVS is one of the alternative orders. Standardized IF SOV is a dominant order, THEN…

Universal 364: agglutinative ⇒ long inflectional affixes;flexive ⇒ short inflectional affixes Original Inflectional affixes tend to be longer in agglutinative languages than in flective languages.…

Universal 380: Original Every language has “double-subject”* constructions. Standardized Every language has “double-subject”* constructions. Keywords topic, comment Domain syntax, pragmatics Type unconditional Status achronic Quality…

Universal 396: Original The more frequent and syntagmatically simple forms show paradigmatically complexity, the less frequent and syntagmatically complex forms show less paradigmatic complexity. Standardized…

Universal 412: postposition ⇒ Gender affixes on N are suffixed;Gender affixes on N are prefixed ⇒ preposition Original If a language is postpositional, Gender affixes…

Universal 428: Original All types of predicate constituents do not agree alike with polite plural pronoun subjects; if the referent of the polite, formally plural…