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Universal 1933: impersonal indefinite is borrowed ⇒ temporal indefinite is borrowed

Posted in Universals Archive

Universal 1933: impersonal indefinite is borrowed ⇒ temporal indefinite is borrowed

Original
If there is a word-form loan of an impersonal indefinite, then it is likely that there will be a word-form loan of a temporal indefinite of the same indefiniteness function, too.
Standardized
IF there is a word-form borrowing of an impersonal indefinite, THEN it is likely that there will be a word-form borrowing of a temporal indefinite of the same indefiniteness function, too.
Keywords
borrowing, indefinite pronoun, impersonal indefinite, temporal indefinite
Domain
lexicon, morphology
Type
implication
Status
diachronic
Quality
statistical
Basis
mainly based on survey of Romani dialects (Indo-Aryan, IE), but also Aromunian (E. Romance, IE), Chamorro (W. Malayo-Polynesian), Saami (Finno-Ugric, Uralic), Swahili (Benue-Congo, Niger-Congo), Spanish (Romance, IE), Persian (Iranian, IE), Turkic languages, Dardic languages, Albanian (Albanian, IE), Kormakita Arabic (Semitic, Afro-Asiatic) and others
Source
Elšík 2001: 139
Counterexamples
BugurdÏi Romani (Kosovo, Macedonia): The impersonal free-choice indefinite ‘stogod’ (=anything) is a word-form loan from Serbian, but the temporal free-choice indefinite ‘bilo kana’ (=anytime) contains an indigenous base (Elsík 2001: 136)

One Comment

  1. FP
    FP
    1. May 2020

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