Reciprocal Constructions
Simple clauses · one world map for each value
WALS codes 175 languages for this feature. The most frequent value, “Distinct from reflexive”, covers 99 of them (57%); 2 values tie for least frequent, with 16 languages each.
That value is most frequent in Eurasia (74% of the 47 languages coded there) and least frequent in North America (37% of 35).
All 9 Altaic languages coded have “Distinct from reflexive”.
Niger-Congo is the most divided, its largest group reaching only 7 of 13.
There are no non-iconic reciprocal constructions.16 languages · 9%
Distinct from reflexive99 languages · 57%
Mixed16 languages · 9%
Identical to reflexive44 languages · 25%
One map per value; each dot is a language WALS codes with that value.
By macro-area
| Value | Africa | Eurasia | Papunesia | Australia | North America | South America |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| There are no non-iconic reciprocal constructions. | 2 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
| Distinct from reflexive | 17 | 35 | 8 | 9 | 13 | 17 |
| Mixed | 0 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Identical to reflexive | 7 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 14 | 13 |
| All values | 26 | 47 | 17 | 16 | 35 | 34 |
Inside the largest families
| Family | Coded | Most frequent value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uto-Aztecan | 17 | Identical to reflexive | 59% |
| Niger-Congo | 13 | Distinct from reflexive | 54% |
| Arawakan | 12 | Distinct from reflexive | 67% |
| Austronesian | 11 | Distinct from reflexive | 73% |
| Indo-European | 11 | Mixed | 73% |
| Altaic | 9 | Distinct from reflexive | 100% |
Languages to explore
The most fully coded languages with each value.
- There are no non-iconic reciprocal constructions.: Amele, Maybrat, Burmese, Pirahã, Rama, Sango
- Distinct from reflexive: English, Finnish, Turkish, Indonesian, Mandarin, Japanese
- Mixed: French, Russian, Spanish, German, Greek (Modern), Hixkaryana
- Identical to reflexive: Supyire, Greenlandic (West), Lango, Mapudungun, Yaqui, Yoruba