Month: May 2020

Universal 115: Original It is common for certain case distinctions to be neutralized for a given number, while the opposite phenomenon perhaps never occurs. Standardized…

Universal 114: N Dem ⇒ N Adj Original There is a significant tendency for N Dem languages to have N Adj. Standardized IF nouns precede…

Universal 113: Adj Qual ⇒ N Adj Original Adj Qual languages exhibit a clear tendency to be N Adj. Standardized IF adjectives precede qualifiers, THEN…

Universal 112: (V O & Adv V) ⇒ Adj N;(O V & V Adv) ⇒ N Adj Original If the adverb occurs on the opposite…

Universal 111: V Adv ⇒ N Adj Original For most languages, if V Adv, then N Adj. Standardized IF verbs precede adverbs, THEN nouns precede…

Universal 110: Rel N ⇒ Adj N;N Rel ⇒ N Adj Original There is a clear tendency for Rel N languages to be Adj N…

Universal 109: SVO ⇒ S Neg V O Original The most common position for negatives in SVO languages is between the subject and the verb,…

Universal 108: OV ⇒ Verb Interr Original In consistent OV languages, interrogative markers follow verbs, occupying final position in the sentence. Standardized IF basic order…

Universal 107: VO ⇒ N Rel & N Adj & N Gen;OV ⇒ Rel N & Adj N & Gen N Original Nominal modifiers (such…

Universal 106: Original Agreement loss, at least with class and number as agreement features, diffuses lexically, at least as far as adjectival targets are concerned.…