Category: Universals Archive

Universal 701: Original In most languages the base number is put before the unit, and in general a higher number before a lower, when they…

Universal 717: Original Phonetically Central tones are unmarked, Extreme tones are highly marked. Standardized Among CENTRAL and EXTREME tones, CENTRAL are usually unmarked and EXTREME…

Universal 733: Original The Zero Universal:If a language employs zero/nonverbal copula encoding for other sentence types than identity statements, it will at least employ this…

Universal 749: Original The Universal of Locational Merging:A language may have locational merging only if it allows locational encoding of predicative adjectives. Standardized IF locational…

Universal 765: Original When … the injective in the dental or alveolar position has become retracted and/or retroflexed, there is a tendency for its glottalic…

Universal 781: Original In a given language the number of voiceless primary oral stops is nearly always greater than the number of voiced ones. Standardized…

Universal 797:

Universal 813: Original In regard to sibilants there is a strong tendency for different types of sibilants not to combine. If it occurs, then it…

Universal 829: VO ⇒ ¬left-extraposed RelCl; VO & right-extraposed RelCl ⇒ postposed RelCl Original If in a language the verb normally precedes its objects, there…

Universal 845: Original In initial clusters, the presence of at least one combination of stop + stop implies the presence of at least one combination…