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Universal 63:

Posted in Universals Archive

Universal 63:

Original
When the adjective follows the noun, the adjective expresses all the inflectional categories of the noun. In such cases the noun may lack overt expression of one or all of these categories.
Standardized
IF the adjective follows the noun, THEN the adjective expresses all the inflectional categories of the noun, while the noun itself may lack overt expression of one or all of these categories.
Keywords
order, adjective, noun, inflection
Domain
inflection, syntax
Type
no genuine implication; rather: provided that
Status
achronic
Quality
absolute?
Basis
30 languages of Greenberg 1963 sample
Source
Greenberg 1963: 95, #40
Counterexamples
Kurdish (Iranian, IE) (Russian translation of Greenberg 1963).Old Egyptian (Afro-Asiatic): Adnominal adjectives follow the noun, but do not express necessarily all the inflectional categories of the noun; e.g. jX-t nb Dw thing-FEM every evil ‘every evil thing’; jX-t nb nfr-t thing-FEM every good-FEM (F. Kammerzell, p.c.)German (Germanic, IE): Some adjectives can appear before or after the noun:mein-es selig-en Mann-es my-GEN.SG.MASC late-GEN.SG.MASC husband-GEN.SG.MASCmein-es Mann-es selig my-GEN.SG.MASC husband-GEN.SG.MASC late

One Comment

  1. FP
    FP

    See #26. The present universal, however, is probably intended to be more generally applicable, covering also languages where adjectives ONLY occur postnominally. #26 is about languages where adjectives may occur pre- AS WELL AS post-nominally.

    1. May 2020

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