Category: Universals Archive

Universal 126: N Num ⇒ N Rel;equivalently: Rel N ⇒ Num N Original If a language has noun before numeral, then it has noun before…

Universal 142: Du (Adj) ⇒ Du (Dem) Original In noun-phrase-internal agreement, if adjectives inflect for the dual, so do demonstratives. Standardized In NP-internal agreement, IF…

Universal 158: Original If an adposition occurs as both dative marker and locative marker, it also occurs as allative marker. Standardized IF an adposition occurs…

Universal 174: Prep ⇒ (N Num ⇒ N G) Original If a language is prepositional, then if the numeral follows the noun, the genitive follows…

Universal 190: locative > allative > ablative > prolative Original If only some locational relations are expressed in a case system, they will always include…

Universal 206: ergative alignment ⇒ case (Erg/Abs) & personal affix (Erg/Abs) Original The most important implications of ergativity are the following: the opposition of ergative…

Universal 222: Original If a language has a distributive-key quantifier word, then that word is a distributive-key universal quantifier. Standardized IF there is a distributive-key…

Universal 238: rigid word order ⇒ Subj Predicate & VO & PrepN & NAdj & NRel & N PP Original If constituent order is rigid,…

Universal 254: case (adjective) ⇒ case (noun) Original If there is a certain case distinction in the forms of the adjective, there is the same…

Universal 270: category X (neuter gender) ⇒ category X (non-neuter gender) Original If a certain grammatical distinction occurs in the paradigm of the neuter gender,…