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Universal 1468:

Posted in Universals Archive

Universal 1468:

Original
In an overwhelming majority of languages, if some form denotes the metaperson ‘hearer(s) + non-participant(s)’, then it also denotes the metaperson ‘hearer’ in the non-singular.
Standardized
IF a form denotes the metaperson ‘hearer(s) + non-participant(s)’, THEN it also denotes the metaperson ‘hearer’ in the non-singular.
Keywords
personal pronoun, person, 2nd, hearer, non-participant, number, non-singular
Domain
inflection, syntax, lexicon
Type
implication
Status
achronic
Quality
statistical
Basis
400 world-wide distributed languages, see Sokolovskaja 1980: 98-99; Sokolovskaja surveyed systems of independent personal pronouns only.
Source
Sokolovskaja 1980: 94, U 31
Counterexamples
Nkozi (NW Bantu, Niger-Congo), Yakut (Turkic, Altaic) (Sokolovskaja 1980);Ghomala (Benue-Congo, Niger-Kongo) (EF), ??? Abkhaz (N. Caucasian)(FP, EF).Bavarian German (Simon 2000).

One Comment

  1. FP
    FP

    1. Sokolovskaja recognizes the following metapersons:’speaker’, ‘hearer’, ‘non-participant’, ‘speaker + hearer(s)’, ‘speaker + non-participant(s)’, ‘hearer(s) + non-participant(s)’, and ‘speaker + hearer(s) + non-participant(s). 2. Cf. #1471.

    1. May 2020

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