Category: Universals Archive

Universal 1642: subordinating serial verb structures ⇒ SVO Original Nearly all of the examples of subordinating serial verb structures (V+V) are found in SVO languages.…

Universal 1658: Original Whenever there are two terms differing in generation which are true reciprocals, or there is one which is a self-reciprocal term with…

Universal 1674: Original Standardized IF there is a phoneme all of whose allophones are variants of /x/, THEN there is a phoneme whose characteristic variant…

Universal 1690: absolute consecutive deranking ⇒ SOV v VOS Original Languages with absolute consecutive deranking have either SOV or VSO word order. Standardized IF there…

Universal 1706: Original The Law of Initials:Word-medial syllable heads are the more preferred, the less they differ from possible word-initial syllable heads of the language…

Universal 1722: Original If the article co-occurs with the noun that is accompanied by adnominal possessives that are not marked for genitive, it also does…

Universal 1738: Original On the NP analysis pronouns are arguably anomalous in lacking an overt noun head – unless pronouns are taken to be a…

Universal 1754: Original For all languages, if person and/or number is marked on non-finite forms, then it is also marked on finite forms. Standardized IF…

Universal 1770: Original If there is effacement of comparatively strong (syllable-initial) nasals, then there must have already been effacement of comparatively weak (syllable-final) nasals. Standardized…

Universal 1786: Original Standardized IF a vowel followed by a back velar nasal result in a nasal vowel, THEN a nasal vowel as the result…