Universal 837: VSO ⇒ Person & Number inflection

Universal 837: VSO ⇒ Person & Number inflection

Original

VSO languages tend to have Person-Number inflection.

Standardized

IF basic order is VSO, THEN there is very likely to be verbal person-number inflection or both person-number and tense-aspect-mood inflection, but not verbal tense-aspect-mood without person-number inflection.

Keywords

order, VSO, verb, person, number, tense, aspect, mood

Domain

syntax, inflection

Type

implication

Status

achronic

Quality

statistical

Basis

50 languages of Bybee 1985b sample; see Bybee 1985b: 215-6

Source

Bybee 1985b: 46-47

Counterexamples