Category: Universals Archive

Universal 885: front rounded vowel ⇒ back rounded vowel Original There are no languages with rounded front vowels but without rounded back vowels. Standardized IF…

Universal 901: Original The more firmly individuated (definite, human, etc.) the agent and the object and/or the more complete (semantically pregnant, perfective, real. etc.) the…

Universal 917: Original Consistent OV languages are consistently left-branching (placing phrasal constituents before nonphrasal ones) while consistent VO languages are consistently right-branching. Standardized IF OV…

Universal 933: Original Standardized If there is the syllabic laryngeal ÷§ then there are syllabic obstruent stops. Keywords laryngeal, obstruent, syllabic, consonant Domain phonology Type…

Universal 949: Original If direct and indirect/non-direct objects can be distinguished paradigmatically, then they can be distinguished syntagmatically as well (but not necessarily the reverse).…

Universal 965: (IndefArt ≠ ‘One’) & VO ⇒ IndefArt N(IndefArt ≠ ‘One’) & OV ⇒ N IndefArt Original Languages where indefinite articles are quite distinct…

Universal 981: allative comparative ⇒ VSO Original If a language has an allative comparative, then it is VSO. Standardized IF there is an allative comparative,…

Universal 998: Exceed-1 Comparative ⇒ adjectives are verby Original If a language has an Exceed-1 (i.e. a serial) Comparative, it is verby. If an Exceed…

Universal 1013: Original A compact nasal consonant implies the the presence of two diffuse consonants, one acute and the other grave. Standardized IF there is…

Universal 1029: Original It is these three features – stress, tone and length (with the possible addition of … glottalization) – which function accentually and…