Universal 470: ergative/nominative (1 V (V.) 2 person pronoun) ⇒ ergative/nominative (noun)
Original
If in a language there is an opposition “ergative/nominative” in the declension of independent personal pronouns of the 1st and 2nd person (or at least one of them), there is the same opposition in the declension of nouns of this language.
Standardized
IF there is an opposition ergative/absolutive in the inflection of independent personal pronouns of the 1st and 2nd person (or at least one of them), THEN there is the same opposition in the inflection of nouns.
Keywords
alignment, case, ergative, absolutive, personal pronoun, person, 1, 2, noun
1. The reverse is often not true.2. A proviso “at least one of them” is made in order to include in this universal a small number of Dardic and Daghestanian languages in which this opposition in the system of personal pronouns is found only with some of pronouns of 1st and 2nd person. Thus, in Botlikh and Archi only the 1SG pronoun has this opposition, in Chamalal only 1SG and 2SG, in Tsez only 1PL and 2PL.3. See comments to #474.4. See similar statements by Moravcsik (#591) and Silverstein (#217).
1. The reverse is often not true.2. A proviso “at least one of them” is made in order to include in this universal a small number of Dardic and Daghestanian languages in which this opposition in the system of personal pronouns is found only with some of pronouns of 1st and 2nd person. Thus, in Botlikh and Archi only the 1SG pronoun has this opposition, in Chamalal only 1SG and 2SG, in Tsez only 1PL and 2PL.3. See comments to #474.4. See similar statements by Moravcsik (#591) and Silverstein (#217).