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Universal 236: inflectional expansion: cases marking SUBJ, OBJ, ATTR ⇒ local cases;
inflectional reduction: local cases ⇒ cases marking SUBJ, OBJ, ATTR

Posted in Universals Archive

Universal 236: inflectional expansion: cases marking SUBJ, OBJ, ATTR ⇒ local cases;
inflectional reduction: local cases ⇒ cases marking SUBJ, OBJ, ATTR

Original
During inflectional expansion, if there are cases marking subject, object, and attribute, there are also local and other adverbial cases. During inflectional reduction, if there are local and other adverbial cases, there are also subject, object, and attributive cases.
Standardized
During inflectional expansion, IF there are cases marking subject, object, and attribute, THEN there are also local and other adverbial cases.
During inflectional reduction, IF there are local and other adverbial cases, THEN there are also subject, object, and attributive cases.
Keywords
case, subject, object, attributive, local, adverbial
Domain
inflection
Type
implication
Status
diachronic (see Comments)
Quality
absolute
Basis
Ancient and Modern Greek (both Greek), French, Italian, Latin (all Italic), English, “Gothic” (both Germanic), Classical Armenian (Armenian), Hebrew (Semitic, Afro-Asiatic)
Source
Smith 1761 [1983], as interpreted in Plank 1992: 43
Counterexamples

One Comment

  1. FP
    FP

    Is actually not a developmental law, but a universal implication, holding only for (all) languages in a particular stage of their evolution.

    1. May 2020

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