Category: Universals Archive

Universal 533: numeral classifier ⇒ ¬ obligatory plural marking (noun) Original If a language includes numeral classifiers as its dominant mode of forming quantification expressions,…

Universal 549: Original Where there is rule-governed variation between the use of the singular and plural with numerals, the use of the singular is favoured…

Universal 565: Du (3 person) ⇔ Du (2 person) Original If 3rd Person differentiates a Dual, so does 2nd, and vice versa. Standardized IF 3rd…

Universal 581: (¬gender (Sg) & gender (1 non-Sg)) ⇒ gender (2 non-Sg) ⇒ gender (3 non-Sg) Original In languages without Gender distinctions in the Singular,…

Universal 597: Original The evaluative adjective always precedes the affective adjective. Standardized When evaluative and affective adjectives occur in the same construction, the evaluative adjective…

Universal 613: purple V pink V orange V grey ⇒ brown ⇒ blue ⇒ green & yellow ⇒ red ⇒ black & white Original If…

Universal 629: Original If a language uses reduplication to form portmanteau from ordinary quantifier words, then it forms distributive-share quantifier words by reduplication. Standardized IF…

Universal 645: Original If the gender of a 3rd person personal pronoun does not vary when used in reference to the addressee(s), in a language…

Universal 661: converb prominence ⇔ OV Original There is a correlation between converb prominence and object-verb word order. Standardized IF there is converb prominence, THEN…

Universal 677: Original If a language uses relative pronouns of interrogative form in ad-relative* clauses, then in that language interrogative pronouns are placed in initial…