Category: Universals Archive

Universal 1464: Original In an overwhelming majority of languages, if the metapersons ‘speaker + hearer(s)’ and ‘speaker + hearer(s) + non-participant(s)’ are not the only…

Universal 1480: Original If a language has a special form with the meaning ‘speaker + non-participant(s)’ (i.e. “we exclusive”) then it has a special form…

Universal 1496: Original The upper limb, ‘arm’ (and ‘hand’) is named by a distinct term in all languages. Standardized The upper limb, ‘arm’ (and ‘hand’)…

Universal 1512: OS ⇒ #V Original Subject-final languages are always verb-initial. Standardized IF full noun phrase subjects must follow full noun phrase direct objects, THEN…

Universal 1528: OS ⇒ passive Original All subject-final languages have passive forms of verbs (ones in which the object of the active verb functions as…

Universal 1544: verb-initial ⇒ verbal case-marking Original In verb-initial languages, verbal case marking is attested to a very significant degree. Standardized IF word order is…

Universal 1560: verb-initial ⇒ no verb agreement V. agreement with two noun phrases Original With possibly greater than chance frequency, the verb in verb-initial languages…

Universal 1576: Original If a language has a complex system both of reflexive constructions and causative constructions (with lexical or analytical causatives), the former tends…

Universal 1592: internal relative clause ⇒ OV ⇒ left-branching NP structure Original The restriction of internally headed relative clauses to OV languages implies that these…

Universal 1608: Original Permeability of classes of consonants to nasalization: vowels > {[h], glottal stop (=laryngeal segments)} > w, y (=oral glides) > r,l (=liquids)…