Category: Universals Archive

Universal 166: Original If a verb agrees in prefix with the direct object, then at least some of the verbs agree with the subject. Standardized…

Universal 182: Original If adnominal genitival complements are neither marked by case nor by coreference on the head-NP, there is a tendency for SVO. Standardized…

Universal 198: Original No set of case marking elements both precede the head noun and are inseparable from it. Standardized IF a relational marker (case,…

Universal 214: fixed-case (comparative) ⇒ deranking Original If a language has a fixed-case comparative, then that language is deranking. Standardized IF there is a fixed-case…

Universal 230: rigid order ⇔ ¬case; ¬case ⇔ prepositions; rigid order ⇔ preposition; flexible order ⇔ cases; cases ⇔ sparse use of preposition; flexible order…

Universal 246: free order ⇒ longer words Original Words tend to be longer if constituent order is free than if it is rigid. Standardized IF…

Universal 262: Original Among the lexical frequentalia of ergativity one can mention: Classes of possessive and affective verbs (verba habendi and verba sentiendi), forming special…

Universal 278: Original In all languages: if one of the forms of the imperative coincides with a pure (not overtly marked) root, then included in…

Universal 294: Original In all languages: if there is VSO, SVO, SOV, then the verb has prefixes and suffixes. Standardized IF basic order is VSO,…

Universal 310: Original If some nouns have a syntactic form of indefinitive*, then the citation form coincides exactly with this syntactic form. Standardized The citation…