Universal 573: obligatory (in)definiteness marking ⇒ ¬ obligatory numeral classifier

Universal 573: obligatory (in)definiteness marking ⇒ ¬ obligatory numeral classifier

Original

If a language has obligatory marking of (in)definiteness, then it has no obligatory marking of numeral classification (but not vice versa).

Standardized

IF there is obligatory marking of (in)definiteness, THEN there will be no obligatory marking of numeral classification.

Keywords

definiteness, numeral classifier

Domain

inflection, syntax

Type

implication

Status

achronic

Quality

absolute

Basis

English, Russian (both Indo-European), Hebrew (Semitic, Afro-Asiatic), Georgian (S. Caucasian), Japanese (Japanese-Ryukyuan)

Source

Gil 1987: 254-269

Counterexamples