Category: Universals Archive

Universal 398: Original If a language has homonymous inflectional affixes that express a single meaning element, then, if the language has cumulative inflection at all,…

Universal 414: Original With the exception of some North-Western Caucasian languages, no European language has person-number cross-reference prefixed to possessed nouns. Standardized Person-number cross-reference markers…

Universal 430: Sg/Pl distinction (2 &/v 3 person) ⇒ Sg/Pl distinction (1 person); Original The singular-plural distinction is universal in free personal pronouns in the…

Universal 447: verb-initial ⇒ preposition V case prefixes Original If a language has verb-initial word order, then it has prepositions or case prefixes. Standardized IF…

Universal 463: Original If a language has an opposition of intransitive verbs of action and state, then all (or almost all), verbs meaning “to move…

Universal 479: ¬past progressive form ⇒ ¬future progressive form Original There is never a special future progressive form unless there is a past progressive form…

Universal 495: VSO ⇒ no Q positioned relative to a particular word in the sentence Original Question particles or affixes, when specified in position by…

Universal 511: Tr ⇒ Du; ¬Du ⇒ ¬Tr;Du ⇒ Pl; ¬Pl => ¬Du Original No language has a trial number unless it has a dual.…

Universal 527: Original Zero is never expressed as part of the numeral system. Standardized Zero is never expressed as part of the numeral system. Keywords…

Universal 543: Original If a link for subtraction is final, the language is postpositional. Standardized IF a link for subtraction is final, THEN there are…