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1. May 2020
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Universal 822: correlative ⇒ verb-final;

Posted in Universals Archive

Universal 822: correlative ⇒ verb-final;

Original
Correlatives are limited to verb-final languages, and in fact, are largely limited to “loose” verb-final ones, namely which permit some NPs, especially “heavy” ones to occur to the right of the verb without any special effect of foregrounding or backgrounding.
Standardized
IF there are correlatives, THEN basic order is loosely verb-final.

OR BY CONTRAPOSITION:
IF basic order is not loosely verb-final, THEN there are no correlatives.

Keywords
relative clause, correlative, order, verb-final
Domain
syntax
Type
implication
Status
achronic
Quality
absolute
Basis
languages mentioned in Downing 1978, Keenan 1985b
Source
Keenan 1985b: 164; Downing 1978: 400; unpublished statements of Keenan’s about verb-initial languages reproduced in D.Payne 1990: 14
Counterexamples
FP

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One Comment

  1. FP
    FP

    1. Correlatives are not attested in rigid verb-final languages such as Japanese (Japanese-Ryukyuan) and Turkish (Turkic, Altaic).They are not attested in rigid SVO or verb-initial languages.2. Cf. Downing: “ Correlative relative constructions with a definite Rel NP and unreduced nominal heads are found only in languages in which verbs follow their objects in the basic word order”.

    1. May 2020

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