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Universal 455:

Posted in Universals Archive

Universal 455:

Original
An inalienably possessed, non-vocative noun does not necessarily imply that the corresponding vocative noun is inalienably possessed.
Standardized
IF a noun is inalienably possessed in non-vocative uses, THEN this noun is not necessarily inalienably possessed in vocative uses too.
Keywords
inalienable possession, noun, case, vocative
Domain
inflection, syntax
Type
non-implication
Status
achronic
Quality
statistical
Basis
75 languages surveyed in Ultan 1978e
Source
Ultan 1978e: 36
Counterexamples

One Comment

  1. FP
    FP

    That is, the categorization of a noun as inalienable possession is not valid across the board. The contrast inalienable/alienable is especially entrenched in non-vocative uses, and can be neutralized in vocative uses.

    1. May 2020

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