Category: Universals Archive

Universal 2007: Original If there is contrastive pitch accent, then there is a vocalic length contrast.If there is a vocalic length contrast, then there cannot…

Universal 2023: Original It also appears that the main universal mode for describing cognitively based feelings is in terms of a comparison, that is, via…

Universal 7: Original Where morphemes of both number and case are present and both follow or both precede the noun base, the expression of number…

Universal 23: Original In all languages, the range of cases that can be marked on the head of a Suffixaufnahme construction may never be narrower…

Universal 39: Original If a language has Suffixaufnahme with both preposed and postposed attributives at one time and at some earlier time it had it…

Universal 55: VSO ⇒ prepositions Original Languages with dominant VSO order are always prepositional. Standardized IF basic order is VSO, THEN adpositions precede their NPs…

Universal 71: Postp ⇒ (A N ⇒ G N) Original If a language has Postp word order, and if the adjective precedes the noun, then…

Universal 87: Prep ⇒ (N Dem ⇒ N Rel) Original IF a language has Prep word order, then if the demonstrative follows the noun, the…

Universal 103: Original Agreement should preferably occur in marked rather than unmarked construction types, e. g. with appositive rather than attributive adjectives. Standardized IF there…

Universal 119: Original If NP-internal constituents agree in two categories these will most likely be number and gender or number and person, depending on whether…