Category: Universals Archive

Universal 1571: Original If a language has homonymous (a) decausative reflexive verb and (b) reflexive verb with the passive sense, it is type (b) that…

Universal 1587: bound nouns ⇒ head-marked possession Original Bound nouns appear to exist only where there is head-marked possession. Standardized IF there is a set…

Universal 1603: Original Low vowels are more likely to be regressively nasalized than high vowels. Standardized IF high vowels are regressively nasalized, THEN low vowels…

Universal 1619: Animate: Posture;Inanimate: Shape/Orientation > Individuation, Rigidity Original The implicational hierarchy of semantic distinctions for predicate classifier systems: The primary distinction in predicate classifier…

Universal 1635: productive noun-incorporation ⇒ head-marking Original Languages with productive noun incorporation must be of the head-marking type. Standardized IF there is productive noun incorporation,…

Universal 1651: Original If in a language finite and non-finite (attributive and/or argument) functions of a form appear to be equally marked or equally unmarked,…

Universal 1667: Original There is a tendency for conjunctions (including comlementizers) to occur in clause-final position in SOV languages and in clause-initial position in VSO…

Universal 1683: absolute deranking ⇒ conditional deranking Original There are no languages in which deranking under non-identity of subjects is possible while at the same…

Universal 1699: Original The Syllabic Tone Law (conjectured):Non-level tones (chromatic accents) on short vowels — or more generally on syllables of less than two voiced…

Universal 1715: Original Higher Order Law:All syllabic complexities are less disfavoured in stressed syllables than in unstressed syllables. Standardized Higher Order Law:All syllabic complexities are…