Category: Universals Archive

Universal 124: Original IF there are aspirated stops (especially voiceless labial and alveolar), THEN there is /h/. Standardized IF there are aspirated stops (especially voiceless…

Universal 140: Original If in a language a property is expressed alternatively by a noun and an adjective and there is also an associated difference…

Universal 156: Original Overt object marking in the bitransitive clause other than marking identical to instrumental implies overt dative marking. Standardized IF overt marking of…

Universal 172: Verb agreement: Erg ⇒ Abs Original In languages with ergative/absolutive distinction, the frequency prediction holds: if the verb agrees with the ergative, then…

Universal 188: incorporation (Subject) ⇒ incorporation (DO) Original If in a language there is incorporation of the nominal subject into the verb-form, then it has…

Universal 204: Original No set of case marking elements are both independent morphemes and fail to express concrete relations. Standardized IF a relational marker (case,…

Universal 220: Original If a language has a converb with the fundamental meaning of succession, then it has also a converb with the fundamental meaning…

Universal 236: inflectional expansion: cases marking SUBJ, OBJ, ATTR ⇒ local cases;inflectional reduction: local cases ⇒ cases marking SUBJ, OBJ, ATTR Original During inflectional expansion,…

Universal 252: rigid &¬adjectives ⇒ predicative use (nominalpredicate & possessive predicate);rigid & small class of adjectives ⇒ predicative use (adjective &nominal & possessive predicate) Original…

Universal 268: ¬suppletive Pl (pronoun) ⇒ (marker Pl(pronoun) = marker Pl(noun)) Original If there is non-suppletive formation of the plural by pronouns, then plural markers…