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Universal 1636: preposition incorporation ⇒ verb-final

Posted in Universals Archive

Universal 1636: preposition incorporation ⇒ verb-final

Original
Relational preverbs are primarily (though not exclusively) favoured in verb-final languages.
Standardized
IF there are relational preverbs owing to preposition incorporation, THEN basic order tends to be verb-final.
Keywords
order, verb-final, preverb, preposition incorporation
Domain
morphology, syntax
Type
implication
Status
achronic
Quality
statistical
Basis
Nadëb (Makú), Rama (Chibchan), Winnebago (Siouan)
Source
Craig & Hale 1988: 319, cited in Baker 1996: 505
Counterexamples
The so-called ‘applicative’ or ‘applied’ suffixes of the Bantu languages have been identified (by Baker 1986, among others) as incorporated adpositions (prepositions, in the case of Bantu). Bantu languages, however, are verb-medial.

One Comment

  1. FP
    FP
    1. May 2020

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