Month: May 2020

Universal 515: Original All languages have pronominal categories involving at least three persons and two numbers. Standardized All languages have pronominal categories involving at least…

Universal 514: Original A language never has more gender categories in non-singular numbers than in the singular. Standardized IF there are n genders in the…

Universal 513: gender ⇒ number Original If a language has the category of gender, it always has the category of number. Standardized IF there is…

Universal 512: Original There is no language in which the plural does not have some non-zero allomorphs, whereas there are languages in which the singular…

Universal 511: Tr ⇒ Du; ¬Du ⇒ ¬Tr;Du ⇒ Pl; ¬Pl => ¬Du Original No language has a trial number unless it has a dual.…

Universal 510: Original When number agreement between the noun and verb is suspended and the rule is based on order, the case is always one…

Universal 509: verb agreement in gender (subject V object) ⇒ > verb agreement in number (subject V object) Original Whenever the verb agrees with a…

Universal 508: verb agreement in gender (subject V object) ⇒ adjective agreement in gender (noun) Original If the verb agrees either with the subject or…

Universal 507: person-number (verb) V gender (verb) ⇒ tense-mood (verb) Original If the verb has categories of person-number or if it has categories of gender,…

Universal 506: inflection ⇒ word formation Original If a language has inflection, it always has derivation. Standardized IF there is inflection, THEN there is derivation.…