Universal 1307: postposition ⇒ tense affixes on V are suffixed

Universal 1307: postposition ⇒ tense affixes on V are suffixed

Original

If a language is postpositional, tense affixes on verb (if any) are suffixed with overwhelmingly greater than chance frequency.

Standardized

IF there are postpositions, THEN tense affixes on verbs are suffixed with overwhelmingly greater than chance frequency.

Keywords

order, postposition, verb, tense, affix-order, suffix

Domain

inflection, syntax

Type

implication

Status

achronic

Quality

statistical

Basis

200 languages drawn from three samples: a 113-language sample by L. Stassen, a 40-language sample by J. Bybee & R. Perkins, and a 50-language sample by G. Gilligan

Source

Cutler, Hawkins, & Gilligan 1985: 729; Hawkins & Gilligan 1988: 224

Counterexamples

Stassen’s and Gilligan’s samples: 97% of postpositional languages with tense affixes are suffixing, 3% are prefixing.