Category: Universals Archive

Universal 1635: productive noun-incorporation ⇒ head-marking Original Languages with productive noun incorporation must be of the head-marking type. Standardized IF there is productive noun incorporation,…

Universal 1651: Original If in a language finite and non-finite (attributive and/or argument) functions of a form appear to be equally marked or equally unmarked,…

Universal 1667: Original There is a tendency for conjunctions (including comlementizers) to occur in clause-final position in SOV languages and in clause-initial position in VSO…

Universal 1683: absolute deranking ⇒ conditional deranking Original There are no languages in which deranking under non-identity of subjects is possible while at the same…

Universal 1699: Original The Syllabic Tone Law (conjectured):Non-level tones (chromatic accents) on short vowels — or more generally on syllables of less than two voiced…

Universal 1715: Original Higher Order Law:All syllabic complexities are less disfavoured in stressed syllables than in unstressed syllables. Standardized Higher Order Law:All syllabic complexities are…

Universal 1731: Original If a noun phrase constituent has special adnominal and nominal forms for any of its more marked members, it tends to have…

Universal 1747: Original Ordinal numerals are likelier to have synonyms than corresponding cardinal numerals. Standardized IF a cardinal numeral has synonyms, THEN the corresponding ordinal…

Universal 1763: Original The velars are most likely to undergo weakening, then the dentals, and lastly the labials, in that order. Standardized IF labials undergo…

Universal 1779: Original If there is a voiced affricate reflex, then there will also be a voicless affricate reflex, i.e.dz → z ⇒ ts →…