Month: May 2020

Universal 5: SOV & N Gen ⇒ N Adj Original If a language has dominant SOV order and the genitive follows the governing noun, then…

Universal 2: Postposition ⇒ G N Original In languages with postpositions the genitive almost always precedes the governing noun. Standardized IF adpositions follow their NPs…

Universal 1: Adp NP ⇒ N G Original In languages with prepositions the genitive almost always follows the governing noun. Standardized IF adpositions precede their…

Universal 4: Original If the exponent of vocative is a prefix, then this prefix has arisen from 1st person possessor or a 2nd person subject.…

Universal 3: ergative alignment ⇒ also accusative alignment Original Grammatical systems with ergativity tend to have ergative-accusative splits. Standardized IF alignment is ergative for some…