Universal 1645: head-marking anywhere ⇒ head-marking at the clause level;dependent-marking at the clause level ⇒ > dependent-marking at the phrase level Original If a language…
Month: May 2020
Universal 1644: SOV ⇒ ¬ verb phrase serialization Original There is a strong tendency for SOV languages to display verb concatenation rather than verb phrase…
Universal 1643: VSO ⇒ ¬ subordinating serial verb phrase structures Original VSO languages with subordinating serial verb phrase constructions are not attested. Standardized IF basic…
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 1641: transitive > objective > subjective Original Syntactic functions of reflexive markers fall into an implicational hierarchy: transitive > objective > subjective function. If…
Universal 1640:
Posted in Universals Archive
Universal 1640: Original The principal functions within the objective recessive diathesis develop in the following succession:decausative > passive > impersonal. Languages with the reflexive impersonal…
Universal 1639:
Posted in Universals Archive
Universal 1639: Original Evolution of semantic functions of subjective reflexive markers: semantic reflexivity > ‘partitive object’ and/or autocausative > absolute and/or reciprocal. (a) RMs with…
Universal 1638:
Posted in Universals Archive
Universal 1638: Original It is characteristic for reflexive markers to develop into decausative markers cross-linguistically, and there is no evidence of the reverse process. Standardized…
Universal 1637: head-final ⇒ serial verb constructions Original For serial verb constructions, the languages where heads precede complements are far more prone to verb serialization…
Universal 1636: preposition incorporation ⇒ verb-final Original Relational preverbs are primarily (though not exclusively) favoured in verb-final languages. Standardized IF there are relational preverbs owing…