Category: Universals Archive

Universal 965: (IndefArt ≠ ‘One’) & VO ⇒ IndefArt N(IndefArt ≠ ‘One’) & OV ⇒ N IndefArt Original Languages where indefinite articles are quite distinct…

Universal 981: allative comparative ⇒ VSO Original If a language has an allative comparative, then it is VSO. Standardized IF there is an allative comparative,…

Universal 998: Exceed-1 Comparative ⇒ adjectives are verby Original If a language has an Exceed-1 (i.e. a serial) Comparative, it is verby. If an Exceed…

Universal 1013: Original A compact nasal consonant implies the the presence of two diffuse consonants, one acute and the other grave. Standardized IF there is…

Universal 1030: Original Only the intense pole – loud stress, high pitch and length – ever has the accentual property. There is no language in…

Universal 1046: Original The number of tones on a long vowel seems never to be fewer than on a short vowel. Standardized The number of…

Universal 1062: Original In case of polite plural subject, … more verb-like predicates tend to agree with features of the surface subject, while more noun-like…

Universal 1078: Original In languages with distinctive aspiration, when aspiration is phonemic, it is often more marked than when it is merely allophonic. Standardized In…

Universal 1094: Original Nasal consonants tend to share place of articulation properties with stop systems, and glottal features, syllabicity, and accent bearing with liquids. Standardized…

Universal 1110: preverbs (perfective aspect) ⇒ preverbs (future tense) Original If in a language perfective aspect is expressed by help of preverbs then it is…