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Universal 1343: O V ⇒ PP V;
V O ⇒ V PP

Posted in Universals Archive

Universal 1343: O V ⇒ PP V;
V O ⇒ V PP

Original
Adpositional phrases more often precede the verb in OV languages and more often follow the verb in VO languages.
Standardized
IF basic order is OV, THEN the adpositional phrase precedes the verb.
IF basic order is VO, THEN the adpositional phrase follows the verb.
Keywords
order, OV, VO, adpositional phrase
Domain
syntax
Type
implication
Status
achronic
Quality
statistical
Basis
sample of 543 languages in Dryer 1992
Source
Dryer 1992: 92
Counterexamples

One Comment

  1. FP
    FP

    This universal is a part of Dryer’s Branching Direction Theory (BDT) discussed in Dryer 1992: 108-118.

    1. May 2020

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