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Universal 26:

Posted in Universals Archive

Universal 26:

Original
In all languages that mark a constituent preposed to the noun for inflectional categories such as number, gender, or case, constituents postposed to the noun will also carry such marking.
Standardized
IF prenominal constituents are marked for inflectional categories such as number, gender, or case, THEN constituents of the same class will also carry such marking when in postnominal position.
Keywords
order, agreement, NP, number, gender, case
Domain
inflection, syntax
Type
implication
Status
achronic
Quality
absolute
Basis
Greenberg´s universal #40
Source
Moravcsik 1995: 472, #G9
Counterexamples
German: There are a number of adjectives that can be postnominal as well as prenominal in the standard language, and in archaic, poetic language further adjectives can also follow their nouns; e.g. 1. pur-er Whisky vs. Whisky pur [pure-MascSgNomStrong whisky vs. whisky pure (uninflected)] 2. mein selig-er Mann vs. mein Mann selig [my late-Infl husband vs. my husband late] 3. rot-es Röslein vs. Röslein rot [red-Infl rose vs. rose red]Also, some relevant words are adjectival when prenominal, and inflect regularly for agreement, but when postnominal they are adverbial and inflectionally invariable:4. das heut-ig-e Konzert vs. das Konzert heute the today-Adjct-NeutSgNomWeak concert vs. the concert todaySee Plank 1977: 27-34, 57-58.

One Comment

  1. FP
    FP

    1. See also ##25, 63. 2. Is English also a counterexample? cf. these books here A prenominal constituent (demonstrative) agrees in number, but postnominally nothing is ever agreeing. But presumably this is not what the implication means. Supposedly it is the SAME kinds of constituents which are to be compared pre- and post-nominally, and here/there (though deictic) do not qualify as being of the same kind as prenominal demonstratives.

    1. May 2020

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