Month: May 2020

Universal 1945: Original In deixis, person and related spatial, 1st and 3rd person never align as against 2nd. 2nd person may align with 1st or…

Universal 1944: Original When three-degree systems of demonstratives where proximal/medial/distal correspond to 1st/2nd/3rd person develop into two-degree systems, the opposition will be proximal&medial vs. distal…

Universal 1943: Original It appears to be only indicators of the 1st and 2nd person which combine to form new pronouns. (but see Comments) Standardized…

Universal 1942: Original One generally unremarked fact is that 2nd person plurals never appear to make a distinction between a plurality of addressees and combinations…

Universal 1941: Original If an infix has an alternative position outside the word, that external position is always at the edge of the word to…

Universal 1940: Original The use of all other processes of nominal derivation and inflection (namely internal modification, suprasegmental processes, subtraction, conversion, suppletion), with the exception…

Universal 1939: Original If a language has denominal derivation, it has nominal derivation (=derivation of something else to nouns). Standardized IF words of whatever word…

Universal 1938: Original I know of no language which has one verb stem to indicate giving to the 1st or 3rd person and a suppletive…

Universal 1937: Original If there is a word-form loan of a personal indefinite in a language, then there is a word-form loan of an temporal…

Universal 1936: Original Indefinite word forms which synchronically contain an indefiniteness marker that already exists in the potential recipient language are more likely to be…