Category: Universals Archive

Universal 100: (Adj/Dem/Num) ≥ (Rel/Gen) Original Mobility Principle:(Adj/Dem/Num) ≥(Rel/Gen). This principle claims that Adj, Dem, and Num are more mobile than Gen and Rel and…

Universal 116: case ⇒ number Original … number is, as has been seen, closer to the stem and generally present when case is present, while…

Universal 132: SENT (ANC) ⇒ SOV & G N Original Languages with the SENT type of ANCs are to a large extent SOV/GN languages. Standardized…

Universal 148: Inflection (Adj) ⇒ Inflection (Noun) Original If adjectives are inflected, so are nouns. Standardized IF adjectives are inflected, THEN nouns are inflected. Keywords…

Universal 164: Original No language signals completive or incompletive aspect by the form of its dative, allative, or locative marking. Standardized Overt marking of dative…

Universal 180: case-marking (Subj &DO) ⇒ SOV Original Case-marking for subject vs. object correlates positively with SOV and negatively with SVO. Standardized IF there is…

Universal 196: OV ⇒ simple syllable structure Original OV languages tend to have simple syllable structure. Standardized IF basic order is OV, THEN syllable structure…

Universal 212: vocalic opposition ⇒ consonantal opposition Original IF a language has a vocalic opposition, THEN it has a consonantal opposition. Standardized IF there is…

Universal 228: case (noun) ⇒ inflection (verb) Original If nouns inflect for case, then verbs inflect for some inflectional category. Standardized IF nouns inflect for…

Universal 244: Original Inflectional systems either have all three of the following properties or none of them: (i) inflectional exponents are intimately joined to the…