Universal 557:

Universal 557:

Original

When languages with and without articles are in contact, it is more common for languages without an article to pick one up than for languages with an article to abandon it.

Standardized

When languages with and without articles are in contact, it is more common for languages without an article to innovate one than for languages with an article to abandon it.

Keywords

article, borrowing

Domain

syntax

Type

unconditional

Status

diachronic

Quality

statistical

Basis

?

Source

Renzi 1992: 161-176

Counterexamples