Introduction to
Universal Grammar

Introduction:

Before creating Multilingua, Xabier Interideal analysed more than 1,000 language grammars and proposed a new (linguistic) theory based on Fundamental Binomials as the minimum element common to all languages.

The theory of fundamental binomials proposes a simple theory that manages to unify and accommodate the structures of all languages (something like the string theory that aims to unify theory of general relativity and quantum physics).

Language with Diestra and Siniestra structure: 

There are two major groups of languages. We will call them the Diestra languages and the Siniestra languages and define them as follows:

• Sinister languages are the ergative languages. Objective languages. In these languages, the referent is the “object”, i.e. the focus in the sentence is on the “object”, on “what is being done” as opposed to “who is doing it”. These languages are the oldest, among them are Japanese, Euskera (Basque), Georgian, some Australian languages, etc.
• Diestra languages are nominative languages. Subjective languages. In these languages, the referent is the Subject, i.e. the focus in the sentence is on the “Subject”, on “who is doing it” as opposed to “what it is done to”. These languages are the most modern ones, among them are Spanish, English, French, etc.

Fundamental Binomials:

The theory of Fundamental Binomials proposes that all grammatical structures, however complex they may be, can be reduced to a pair that he called Fundamental Binomial. And from there, language and its complex structures are constructed by creating increasingly larger binomials at different levels.

kind of binary system where the minimum unit is the Fundamental Binomial as opposed to the traditional grammar which proposes triples (Subject, Object, Verb) but that these structures do not correctly fit an important part of the languages, the ergative languages (having to make exceptions such as the active and passive subject, among other arrangements).

In short, traditional grammar is based on only a part of the whole set of languages, the subjective languages or, as XI calls them, the Diestra languages.

(quarks)

Evolution of languages:

He proposes the evolution of language as follows:

1. The object (subject) was given: what he proposes here is that in the creation of language the first thing that was given would be the Object (Subject) e.g. Stone, Flesh, Mammoth, etc.
2. The verb was added (Comment-Theme): then the verb was added and the Comment-Theme binomial was created: i.e. eat-meat, hunt-mammoth, look after-child, etc.
3. To this object-verb structure, the actor was added, but with a commentary character, still giving priority to the action over the actor: that is to say, in this case the binomial hunting-mammoth would become the theme and a binomial would be generated at another level in which a new commentary would participate, the actor, for example “I” as a commentary and the theme would be “hunting-mammoth”.
4. Finally, the actor took over the primacy of the structure in the Western Indo-European languages, giving rise to the situation we know today in which who does it is more important than what is done. In other words, the actor went from being a comment to being a subject.

Step 1: 

Mamut 

T (tema) 

Step 2: 

Hunt                     Mamut 

C (comentario)      T (tema) 

Step 3: 

I             Hunt              Mamut 

                C (comentario)  T (tema) 

C (comentario)              T (tema) 

Step 4: 

I             Hunt           Mamut 

                   C (comentario)  T (tema) 

C (comentario)                 T (tema) 

T (tema)                 C (comentario) 

This theory would also explain and 9 grammatical categories with Binomials. That is to say something like all grammatical categories would be reduced to 2 parts (as if they were quarks). Noun (Object) and Verb.

• The adjective is a noun that has a verb part. That is to say, it has both elements intrinsic. For example “the red one” “the car that is red”????
• The adverb is a verb with a noun part.
• The pronoun replaces the noun.
• The interjection has an implied verb. For example “help!” is a simplification of the concept “I need help”.

At each step the concept changes. It can be complementary or totally different.

I don’t call it a subject, the verb can be the referent. When it is the referent the noun is the subject.

When it is the object the referent is ergative.

The receiver is always marked, to differentiate it from the actor and the object.

The adjective is a noun with a verb part.

The adverb is a verb with a noun part.

The pronoun replaces the noun.

The couplet to put

Conjunction

Referent-referred.

Subject-comment.

Object-Agent.

Actor…