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Universal 460:

Posted in Universals Archive

Universal 460:

Original
In a language, all (or almost all) verbs with the general meaning ‘to create’ or ‘to destroy’ are transitive verbs according to their formal-grammatical features.
Standardized
Verb taking an effected or annihilated object (in particular verbs meaning ‘to create’ and ‘to destroy’) are transitive in all relevant morphosyntactic respects.
Keywords
verb, transitive, effected object
Domain
inflection, syntax, semantics
Type
unconditional
Status
achronic
Quality
absolute
Basis
?
Source
Kozinsky 1995: 152
Counterexamples

One Comment

  1. FP
    FP

    In much work on transitivity and related semantic notions pertaining to subject-object relations, creation and annihilation are assumed to be the most prototypically transitive relations, hence are to be expected to show the fullest complement of morphosyntactic transitivity features (e.g. accusative rather than, say, dative objects).Verbs of PROcreation may diverge from the transitive prototype; but this should not be seen as counterevidence, since procreation is cognitively and culturally significantly different from creation. See Plank 1984.

    1. May 2020

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