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Universal 1403:

Posted in Universals Archive

Universal 1403:

Original
In languages where transitive verbs have suffixes agreeing in definiteness or in person-gender-number with their direct objects, prepositions also have suffixes that agree with their objects in the same categories.
Standardized
IF transitive verbs have suffixes agreeing in definiteness or in person-gender-number with their direct objects, THEN prepositions also have suffixes that agree with their complements in the same categories.
Keywords
agreement, verb, object, preposition, definiteness, person, gender, number
Domain
inflection, syntax
Type
implication
Status
achronic
Quality
absolute
Basis
languages surveyed by Sanders
Source
Sanders 1972: 100, Sanders 1978: 58
Counterexamples

One Comment

  1. FP
    FP

    Presumably more generally: adpositions. What about lgs like French: past participles can agree with (preceding) objects in gender and number (though not person); but no “inflected” prepositions?Does Hungarian have “inflected” postpositions? It ought to, having the right verbal markings.

    1. May 2020

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