Category: Universals Archive

Universal 50: Original In agreement of adnominal modifiers with their heads (NP internal agreement), the agreement features may include case but not person. Standardized The…

Universal 66: OV ⇒ (A N ⇒ GN) Original If a language has OV word order, then if the adjective precedes the noun, the genitive…

Universal 82: Original There is no language in which an accusative object must first be demoted via dative-shift before it can be passivized. Standardized Passivization…

Universal 98: Postp ⇒ (Adv Adj ⇒ Stand Mark Adj) Original If a language has Postp word order, then if the adverb precedes the adjective…

Universal 114: N Dem ⇒ N Adj Original There is a significant tendency for N Dem languages to have N Adj. Standardized IF nouns precede…

Universal 130: Original Head-dependent word order is the same in ANCs and non-derived NPs. Standardized IF heads precede/follow dependents in non-derived noun phrases, THEN they…

Universal 146: Original Tendency: in SOV-languages adjectives can be the head of NPs whereas SVO-languages and VSO-languages tend to require a dummy head noun (‘thing’,…

Universal 162: Original No language uses different dative or spatial markers for partitives. Standardized Overt marking of dative or spatial functions does not alternate depending…

Universal 178: Postp ⇒ (Num N ⇒ G N) Original If a language has Postp word order, then if the numeral precedes the noun, the…

Universal 194: case assign (numeral) ⇒ case-assign (verb &/V adposition) Original … in case in a language numerals are case-assigners, so are verbs and/or adpositions.…