Universal 801: complex morphology ⇔ noun classes
- Original
- Languages that have a complex morphological structure are more likely to show systems of noun classes.
- Standardized
- IF there is complex overall morphology, THEN there tend to be noun classes.
- Keywords
- agglutination, flexion, noun class
- Domain
- inflection, syntax
- Type
- implication
- Status
- achronic
- Quality
- statistical
- Basis
- languages in Dixon 1982
- Source
- Dixon 1982: 218 (also Dixon 1986: 109, see
)
- Counterexamples
1. Dixon lumps (rich) agglutinative and flexive inflection under COMPLEX MORPHOLOGY.2. Dixon 1982: 219 notes: “ The correlation between noun classes/classifiers and morphological type is only a statistical one”.3. See also #1958.