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Universal 113: Adj Qual ⇒ N Adj

Posted in Universals Archive

Universal 113: Adj Qual ⇒ N Adj

Original
Adj Qual languages exhibit a clear tendency to be N Adj.
Standardized
IF adjectives precede qualifiers, THEN nouns tend to precede adjectives.
Keywords
order, noun, adjective, qualifier
Domain
syntax
Type
implication
Status
achronic
Quality
statistical
Basis
sample of 316 languages in Dryer 1988a
Source
Dryer 1988a: 204
Counterexamples

One Comment

  1. FP
    FP

    By a QUALIFIER Dryer means a function word (characterized sometimes in generative work as a degree word and in traditional grammar, misleadingly, as a type of adverb) that qualifies or intensifies an adjective. Among the qualifiers in English are very, more, and somewhat.

    1. May 2020

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