Category: Universals Archive

Universal 61: Standard-marker-adjective ⇒ postpositions;Adjective-marker-standard ⇒ prepositions Original If in comparisons of superiority the only order, or one of the alternative orders, is standard –…

Universal 77: Original Only languages in which (a) the accusative is unmarked, (b) in addition when a non-accusative is dative-shifted it loses its nominal case…

Universal 93: pronominal gender in 2Sg ⇒ pronominal gender in 3Sg Original IF a language has pronominal gender in the 2nd person singular, THEN it…

Universal 109: SVO ⇒ S Neg V O Original The most common position for negatives in SVO languages is between the subject and the verb,…

Universal 125: Original If a language has both SOV in a full sentence and determining N+determined N in a Noun Phrase, then it has at…

Universal 141: Adj(shape) ⇒ Adj(color) & Adj(size) Original If a language has adjectives for shape, it has adjectives for colour and size. Standardized IF the…

Universal 157: Original If an adposition occurs as both object marker and allative marker, it also occurs as dative marker. Standardized IF an adposition occurs…

Universal 173: Prep ⇒ (N Dem ⇒ N G) Original If a language is prepositional, then if the demonstrative follows the noun, the genitive follows…

Universal 189: ≥7 cases ⇒ case(s) for local relations Original Any case system with over a certain number of cases in it (probably somewhere around…

Universal 205: Original No set of case marking elements express neither subject-object nor concrete relations. Standardized IF a relational marker (case, adposition) does not express…