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Universal 673: (person & number) in indicative ⇒ (person & number) in imperative

Posted in Universals Archive

Universal 673: (person & number) in indicative ⇒ (person & number) in imperative

Original
If there is person-number distinction in indicative forms, the same distinction will be in imperative forms, and not vice versa.
Standardized
IF there is person-number distinction in indicative forms, THEN there is the same distinction in imperative forms.
Keywords
mood, indicative, imperative, person, number
Domain
inflection
Type
implication
Status
achronic
Quality
absolute
Basis
about 130 languages mainly from the former USSR
Source
Xrakovskij & Volodin 1986: 87, also cited in Birjulin & Xrakovskij 1992: 31
Counterexamples

One Comment

  1. FP
    FP

    1. There are languages, e.g. Nivkh (isolate), Klamath (Klamath-Modoc (=Lutuamian)), Lezgian (East Caucasian), Mongolian (Altaic), Japanese (Japanese-Ryukyuan), which have person-number distinction in the imperative but not in indicative forms. But there are no languages which have person-number distinction in the indicative but not in imperative forms (Birjulin & Xrakovskij 1992: 31). 2. Uspensky (#273) makes an opposite claim: If there is a certain person or number distinction in the forms of a non-indicative mood, there will be the same distinction in indicative mood.

    1. May 2020

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