Category: Universals Archive

Universal 1220: Original If localization is expressed by adpositions, then there will also be nominal combinations for purposes of localization. Standardized IF localization is expressed…

Universal 1236: Original If a language has initial or final clusters, then it also has medial clusters. Standardized IF there are initial or final clusters,…

Universal 1252: Original Front consonants are less prone to develop in accordance with consonant gradation than back consonants. Standardized Front consonants are less prone to…

Universal 1268: Original Hierarchy of quantifiers: each > every > all > most > many > several > some (+NPPl) > a few (‘>’ means…

Universal 1284: Original If nasality co-occurs in the neighborhood of a vowel or is inherent in the vowel itself of a given height m, then…

Universal 1300: postposition ⇒ Nominalizing affixes on N are suffixed Original If a language is postpositional, nominalizing affixes on noun (if any) are suffixed with…

Universal 1316: long scrambling ⇒ short scrambling Original If a language has long scrambling, it also has short scrambling. Standardized IF there is long scrambling,…

Universal 1332: Original If a language has a vowel system, it has contrasts of tongue height in that system. Standardized IF there are contrasts of…

Universal 1348: Original A subtrahend is always a simple lexical expression. Standardized In numeral systems, a subtrahend is always a simple lexical expression. Keywords numeral…