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Universal 1405: 2Du pronoun ⇒ 1Du pronoun &, V 3Du pronoun

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Universal 1405: 2Du pronoun ⇒ 1Du pronoun &, V 3Du pronoun

Original
The existence of a 2nd person dual pronoun seems to always imply that of a 1st person dual, whether with or without the inclusive-exclusive distinction, and/or a 3rd person dual.
Standardized
IF there is a dual for 2nd person pronoun, THEN there is a dual for either 1st or a 3rd person or both. There will be never a dual limited to 2nd person.
Keywords
pronoun, number, dual, person, 1, 2, 3, inclusive, exclusive
Domain
inflection
Type
implication
Status
achronic
Quality
absolute
Basis
languages surveyed in Greenberg 1988
Source
Greenberg 1988: 1, Greenberg 1993: 12
Counterexamples

One Comment

  1. FP
    FP

    1. Cf. Humboldt’s claim #568: If 2nd and 3rd Person differentiates a Dual, so does (with more than chance frequency) 1st (but not vice versa); see also Plank’s generalizations ##1136, 1137. 2. Cf. #1951.

    1. May 2020

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