Universal 666: information question inversion ⇒ question words are sentence initial

Universal 666: information question inversion ⇒ question words are sentence initial

Original

If a language has information question inversion, question words are almost always sentence initial.

Standardized

IF there is inversion in information questions, THEN question words are almost always sentence initial.

Keywords

information question, inversion, question word, order

Domain

syntax

Type

implication

Status

achronic

Quality

absolute

Basis

79 languages surveyed in Ultan 1978c

Source

Ultan 1978c: 231

Counterexamples