On order and prohibition
The present article examines the claim in the literature that the negative first principle, i.e. the preference
for the order negation-verb to verb-negation, is stronger in negative imperatives (or prohibitives) than in negative declaratives.
To test this hypothesis, we develop – in contrast to earlier research – a systematic, three-way classification of languages, which
is also operationalized as a ranking capturing the overall level of strength of the principle. This classification is applied to a
genealogically and geographically balanced sample of 179 languages. In addition, we consider the role of several factors known to
correlate with the position of negation – like its form, constituent order and areality. However, no cross-linguistic evidence is
found for any difference in negation’s position between negative imperatives and negative declaratives. We therefore conclude that
the hypothesis should be rejected.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.Methodology
- 2.1Objects of study
- 2.2Sample
- 2.3Analytical framework
- 2.4Statistics
- 3.Results
- 3.1In general
- 3.2Reference point
- 3.3Macro-area
- 3.4Constituent order
- 3.5Form
- 4.Conclusion
- Acknowledgments
- Notes
- Abbreviations
-
References
References (72)
Aikhenvald, Alexandra Y.
2010 Imperatives and
commands. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Alcázar, Asier & Mario Saltarelli
2014 The
syntax of imperatives. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Baayen, R. Harald
2008 Analyzing linguistic data: A
practical introduction to statistics using
R. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Beffa, Marie-Lise & Roberte Hamayon
1975 Éléments
de grammaire mongole. Paris: Association Jean-Favard.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Brown, D. Richard
1994 Kresh. In
Peter Kahrel &
René van den Berg (eds.),
Typological
studies in
negation, 163–189. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Campbell, Eric
2017 Commands
in Zenzontepec Chatino (Otomanguean). In
Alexandra Y. Aikhenvald &
Robert M. W. Dixon (eds.),
Commands:
A cross-linguistic
typology, 106–126. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Carlson, Robert
1994 A
grammar of Supyire. Berlin: De Gruyter.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Chang, Suk-Jin
1996 Korean. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Conrad, Robert J. & Kepas Wogiga
1991 An
outline of Bukiyip grammar. Canberra: Australian National University.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Curnow, Timothy J.
1997 A grammar of Awa Pit (Cuaiquer):
An indigenous language of South-western
Colombia. Canberra: Australian National University PhD dissertation.
Cutler, Anne, John A. Hawkins & Gary Gilligan
1985 The
suffixing preference: A processing
explanation.
Linguistics 23(5). 723–758.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Dahl, Östen
1979 Typology
of sentence
negation.
Linguistics 17(1–2). 79–106.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Dahl, Östen
2010 Typology
of negation. In
Laurence R. Horn (ed.),
The
expression of
negation, 9–38. Berlin: De Gruyter.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Devos, Maud & Johan van der Auwera
2013 Jespersen
cycles in Bantu: Double and triple negation.
Journal of African Languages and
Linguistics 34(2). 205–274.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Devos, Maud & Daniël Van Olmen
De Clerck, Bernard
2006 The
imperative in English: A corpus-based, pragmatic
analysis. Ghent: Ghent University PhD dissertation.
De Vries, Lourens
1993 Forms
and functions in Kombai, an Awyu language of Irian
Jaya. Canberra: Australian National University.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
De Vries, Lourens
2004 A
short grammar of Inanwatan, an endangered language of the Bird’s Head of Papua,
Indonesia. Canberra: Australian National University.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Dryer, Matthew S.
2013a Order of negative morpheme and
verb. In
Matthew S. Dryer &
Martin Haspelmath (eds.),
The
world atlas of language structures online. Leipzig: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.
[URL] (last access 28 February 2019.)
Dryer, Matthew S.
2013b Position of negative morpheme
with respect to subject, object and verb. In
Matthew S. Dryer &
Martin Haspelmath (eds.),
The
world atlas of language structures online. Leipzig: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.
[URL] (last 11
March 2019.)
Dryer, Matthew S.
2013c Negative
morphemes. In
Matthew S. Dryer &
Martin Haspelmath (eds.),
The
world atlas of language structures online. Leipzig: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.
[URL] (last access 12 March 2019.)
Dryer, Matthew S.
2013d Genealogical language
list. In
Matthew S. Dryer &
Martin Haspelmath (eds.),
The
world atlas of language structures online. Leipzig: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.
[URL] (last access 20 March 2019.)
Dryer, Matthew S.
2013e Order of object and
verb. In
Matthew S. Dryer &
Martin Haspelmath (eds.),
The
world atlas of language structures online. Leipzig: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.
[URL] (last access 18 April 2019.)
Dutton, Tom E.
1996 Koiari. Munich: Lincom Europa.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Eriksen, Pål K.
2005 On the typology and the
semantics of non-verbal
predication. Oslo: University of Oslo PhD dissertation.
Foley, William A.
1991 The Yimas language of New
Guinea. Stanford: Stanford University Press.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Gruzdeva, Ekaterina
2001 Imperative
sentences in Nivkh. In
Viktor S. Xrakovskij (ed.),
Typology
of imperative
constructions, 59–78. Munich: Lincom Europa.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Guirardello, Raquel
1999 A
reference grammar of Trumai. Houston: Rice University PhD dissertation.
Güldemann, Tom
2008 The
Macro-Sudan belt: Towards identifying a linguistic area in northern sub-Saharan
Africa. In
Bernd Heine &
Derek Nurse (eds.),
A
linguistic geography of
Africa, 151–185. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Hall, Robert A.
1953 Haitian Creole; Grammar, texts,
vocabulary. Philadelphia: American Folkore Society.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Horn, Laurence R.
1989 A natural history of
negation. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Idiatov, Dmitry
2018 An
areal typology of clause-final negation in Africa: Language dynamics in space and
time. In
Daniël Van Olmen,
Tanja Mortelmans &
Frank Brisard (eds.),
Aspects
of linguistic
variation, 115–163. Berlin: De Gruyter.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Janhunen, Juha A.
2018 Postverbal negation in the
Transeurasian belt. Paper presented at the 20th International
Congress of Linguists, Cape Town, July.
Janssen, Dirk P., Balthasar Bickel & Fernando Zúñiga
2006 Randomization
tests in language typology.
Linguistic
Typology 10(3). 419–440.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Jary, Mark & Mikhail Kissine
2014 Imperatives. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Jary, Mark & Mikhail Kissine
2016 When
terminology matters: The imperative as a comparative
concept.
Linguistics 54(1). 119–148.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Jespersen, Otto
1917 Negation
in English and other languages. Copenhagen: A.F. Høst.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Koehn, Edward & Sally Koehn
1986 Apalaí. In
Desmond C. Derbyshire &
Geoffrey K. Pullum (eds.),
Handbook
of Amazonian
languages 11, 33–127. Berlin: De Gruyter.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Kuipers, Aert H.
1974 The Shuswap
language. The Hague: Mouton.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Kuzmenkov, Evgenij A.
2001 Imperative verb forms in
Mongolian. In
Viktor S. Xrakovskij (ed.),
Typology
of imperative
constructions, 98–105. Munich: Lincom Europa.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Louwerse, John
1988 The
morphosyntax of Una in relation to discourse
structure. Canberra: Australian National University.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Miestamo, Matti
2005 Standard
negation: The negation of declarative verbal main clauses in a typological
perspective. Berlin: De Gruyter.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Miestamo, Matti, Dik Bakker & Antti Arppe
2016 Sampling
for variety.
Linguistic
Typology 20(2). 233–296.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Murane, Elizabeth
1974 Daga
grammar: From morpheme to discourse. Norman: Summer Institute of Linguistics.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Nedjalkov, Igor
1997 Evenki. Abingdon: Routledge.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Nichols, Johanna, Alena Witzlack-Makarevich & Balthasar Bickel
2013 The
AUTOTYP genealogy and geography database: 2013 release.
[URL] (last
access 12 April 2019)
Nikolaeva, Irina
2007 Constructional
economy and nonfinite independent clauses. In
Irina Nikolaeva (ed.),
Finiteness:
Theoretical and empirical
foundations, 138–180. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Payne, John R.
1985 Negation. In
Timothy Shopen (ed.),
Language
typology and syntactic description, Vol 1: Clause
structure, 197–242. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Payne, Doris L. & Thomas E. Payne
1990 Yagua. In
Desmond C. Derbyshire &
Geoffrey K. Pullum (eds.),
Handbook
of Amazonian
languages, Vol 21, 249–474. Berlin: De Gruyter.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Popjes, Jack & Jo Popjes
1986 Canela-Krahô. In
Desmond C. Derbyshire &
Geoffrey K. Pullum (eds.),
Handbook
of Amazonian
languages, Vol 11, 128–199. Berlin: De Gruyter.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Quigley, Susan R.
2002 The Awara verbal
system. Grand Forks: University of North Dakota PhD dissertation.
Rasinger, Sebastian M.
2013 Quantitative research in linguistics:
An
introduction. London: Bloomsbury.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
R Core Team
2019 R: A language and
environment for statistical computing. Vienna: R Foundation for Statistical Computing.
[URL] (last
access 8 April 2019)
Roberts, John R.
2016 Amele RRG grammatical
sketch. Dallas: Summer Institute of Linguistics.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Rumsey, Alan
1982 An
intra-sentence grammar of Ungarinjin, North-Western
Australia. Canberra: Australian National University.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Rupp, James E.
1989 Lealao Chinantec
syntax. Dallas: Summer Institute of Linguistics.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Santandrea, Stefano
1976 The
Kresh group, Aja and Baka languages (Sudan): A linguistic
contribution. Naples: Istituto Universitario Orientale.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Schalley, Ewa
2008 Imperatives:
A typological approach. Antwerp: University of Antwerp PhD dissertation.
Thompson, Laurence C.
1965 A Vietnamese
grammar. Seattle: University of Washington Press.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
van der Auwera, Johan
2006 Why
languages prefer prohibitives.
Journal of Foreign
Languages 161(1). 2–25.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
van der Auwera, Johan & Ludo Lejeune
2013 The
prohibitive. In
Matthew S. Dryer &
Martin Haspelmath (eds.),
The
world atlas of language structures online. Leipzig: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.
[URL] (last access 18 March 2019.)
van der Auwera, Johan, Nina Dobrushina & Valentin Goussev
2013 Imperative-hortative
systems. In
Matthew S. Dryer &
Martin Haspelmath (eds.),
The
world atlas of language structures online. Leipzig: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.
[URL] (last access 18 March 2019.)
Van Olmen, Daniël
2010 Typology
meets usage: The case of the prohibitive infinitive in Dutch.
Folia
Linguistica 44(2). 471–508.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Van Olmen, Daniël & Johan van der Auwera
2016 Modality
and mood in Standard Average European. In
Jan Nuyts &
Johan van der Auwera (eds.),
The
Oxford handbook of modality and
mood, 362–384. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Veselinova, Ljuba
2013 Negative
existentials: A cross-linguistic study.
Italian Journal of
Linguistics 25(1). 107–146.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Voorhoeve, Clemens L.
1965 The Flamingo Bay dialect of the Asmat
language. ‘s Gravenhage: Nijhoff.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Vossen, Frens
2016 On
the typology of the Jespersen
cycles. Antwerp: University of Antwerp PhD dissertation.
Weir, E. M. Helen
1994 Nadëb. In
Peter Kahrel &
René van den Berg (eds.),
Typological
studies in
negation, 291–323. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Zamponi, Raoul
2002 Notes
on Betoi verb morphology.
International Journal of American
Linguistics 68(2). 216–241.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Cited by (3)
Cited by 3 other publications
Krasnoukhova, Olga, Johan van der Auwera & Sietze Norder
2023.
Standard negation: the curious case of South America.
Linguistic Typology 27:3
► pp. 629 ff.
![DOI logo](//benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
Van Olmen, Daniël
2023.
Specialization and finiteness (a)symmetry in imperative negation: with a comparison to standard negation.
Linguistic Typology 0:0
![DOI logo](//benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
Rosés Labrada, Jorge Emilio
This list is based on CrossRef data as of 5 july 2024. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers.
Any errors therein should be reported to them.