Universal 1973:
- Original
- A grammatical element is less likely to be omitted the greater the ambiguity which would result from its omission.
- Standardized
- A grammatical element is less likely to be omitted the greater the ambiguity which would result from its omission.
- Keywords
- ellipsis, ambiguity
- Domain
- syntax, semantics
- Type
- implication
- Status
- achronic
- Quality
- absolute?
- Basis
- impressionistic
- Source
- Ferguson 1972: 92
- Counterexamples
See #1977, with #1978 as a more general principle behind it.