Subtypes of asymmetric standard negation
This parameter considers the subtypes of standard asymmetric negation. The analysis of standard asymmetric negation in a language requires the comparison of affirmative sentences and negative sentences. The sentences considered should consist of main clauses featuring declarative statements in indicative mood with finite verbs.1 Furthermore, the entire sentence (verbal predicate) should feature negation. If the only difference between a negative and affirmative sentence is the appearance of a negative morpheme (word or affix), standard negation is considered symmetric. If the negative sentence also shows differences in its verbal structure, standard negation is considered asymmetric. 2 If these differences are constructional, the language should always be classified as asymmetric.
The various subtypes of asymmetric negation are detailed in this parameter. In some languages, negative sentences differ in their use of nonfinite verb forms (usually appearing with a finite copula), while in others negation may apply the irrealis mood or modify another grammatical category, such as person, number, tense, aspect, or mood. It is possible for these grammatical categories to remain consistent across affirmative and negative statements, while their markers are distinct for negation. Alternatively, given grammatical categories may actually disappear with negation.
Types:
NoAsym: The language does not have asymmetric negation.3
AsymFinCop: Affirmative sentences use finite verbs, while negative sentences use nonfinite verbs, with the grammatical categories of the verb partially or wholly expressed by the copula or the verb of negation.
AsymFinNonCat: Affirmative sentences use finite verbs, while negative sentences use nonfinite verbs. Furthermore, grammatical categories such as person, number, and TAM are expressed on affirmative verbs, but not marked on their negative counterparts.
AsymNonreal: In contrast to affirmative sentences, negative sentences involve the use of an irrealis marker.4
AsymCatNonPdg: Negative sentences involve the use of negative-specific morphemes to mark grammatical categories such as person, number, tense, aspect, and mood on the verb, in contrast to their affirmative counterparts. The marked categories themselves do not differ between affirmative and negative sentences.
AsymCatPdg: Certain grammatical categories (such as person, number, tense, aspect, and mood) that are marked in affirmative sentences are not distinguished in negative sentences. This is also referred to as paradigmatic categorical asymmetry.5
AsymWO: There is an obligatory change in morpheme order of the verb root and its affix in negative sentences, compared to their affirmative counterparts.
When a language displays both types, multiple values can be listed. If one type is dominant, a slash (/) can separate the two values, with the dominant value appearing first; if neither is dominant, they are listed with an ampersand (&) separating the two. Dominance should be clearly defined in the commentary. In listing both types, care should be given to avoid overrepresentation of sporadic use of one type.
1: Copular predicates are not considered for this parameter.
2: These differences should be strictly syntactic in nature; morphophonological differences are not relevant for this parameter. Furthermore, variation in other parts of the sentence, such as case endings on the object of the verb, is not considered.
3: If the language displays the value |Sym for the parameter Standard negation, the same value will automatically apply for this parameter as well.
4: If the use of the irrealis mood requires further clausal modifications, this is not considered to constitute a separate difference between negative and affirmative sentences, since the relationship between the given modification and negation is only indirect.
5: As a result, there do not exist exact negative counterparts of each affirmative verb form, and vice versa.