Category: Universals Archive

Universal 688: Original In exclusively prefixing languages, if symmetrical reduplicative compounds exist, they will be overwhelmingly of the alliterative type. Standardized IF bound morphology is…

Universal 704: Original The number of height distinctions in front vowels is equal to or greater than the number in back vowels. Standardized IF there…

Universal 720: Original A language which permits successive shifts of tone level in opposite directions within a word permits words with only one shift of…

Universal 736: predicate adjectives encoded nonverbally ⇒ predicate nominals encoded nonverbally Original The Adjective-Nominal Universal (alternative version):If predicative adjectives are encoded nonverbally, then predicate nominals…

Universal 752: glottalic obstruents & sonants ⇒ ejective obstruent is unvoiced Original IF a language has glottalic obstruents and sonants, THEN the ejective obstruent is…

Universal 768: Original If a language has only two primary fricatives, the second one is most likely to be /f/. Standardized IF there are only…

Universal 784: Original The preferred number of primary oral stops in a given language is between four and eight. Standardized The preferred number of primary…

Universal 800: isolating ⇒ classifiersagglutinative v flexive ⇒ classes Original Languages that tend towards isolating (such as most of those in east and south-east Asia)…

Universal 816: Original Diphthongs exist only in languages which have or had long vowels. Standardized IF there are diphthongs, THEN there are or were long…

Universal 832: Original A language with one or more laterals has a voiced lateral approximant. Standardized IF there is any other lateral, THEN there will…