Theme: major parameters of the typological category

2. THE CROSS-LEVEL CHARACTER
The cross-level character of the typological category is displayed through partici­pation of units belonging to different levels of language hierarchy in the expression of a certain typological category. Invention of cross-level means of expression is needed to describe systems of each compared language separately.
The typological category can be expressed on a number of levels simultaneously. Still one of the levels might be considered as dominant. For example , if a language has explicit morphological means of expressing a certain typological meaning, this level is taken as dominant, e.g. the category of number in English is expressed by the morpheme -(es,s) or in Uzbek - by the morpheme - lar.
The dominant levels in compared languages may or may not coincide thus condi­tioning the level of genetic and/or typological closeness of compared languages. In the process of categorization the most abstract means of expression are considered dominant while the others are looked at as peripheral.
In English the typological category of voice is expressed by various typological forms with different extent of abstraction:
a) Fully abstract: be+V (en) = to be written;
b) Partially abstract: get, become, remain + V (ed) = to become educated. Reflexive voice:
English:
Semi-abstract: V + oneself: She washed herself
Lexical: self-accusation: She dressed.
3. THE CROSS-CLASS CHARACTER
The cross-class character of the typological category is displayed through partic­ipation of words belonging to various lexical-grammatical classes of words (or parts of speech) in expressing a certain typological category. Both notional and functional parts of speech are involved into inventory.
In this sense the typological category is opposed to the traditional grammatical category which is mono-class. For example, the category of number in the tradi­tional grammatical category is described separately in the systems of different parts of speech. E.g., in English it is looked at in the systems of the noun, the verb, the pronoun.
Each language possesses various resources to express different categorial mean­ings. If a certain categorial meaning can be expressed simultaneously through sev­eral lexical - grammatical classes, they are considered as cross-level synonyms.
For example, the typological category of status:

1. 
   The child is sleeping:
   
2. 
   The child is asllep.
   
3. 
   A sleepy (sleeping) child .
   

The typological categories can be represented differently in compared languages. For example, in English the typological category of plurality is more represented in the systems of the noun and verb while other parts of speech like the adjective stay-isolated.
Thus the typological category has the following distinctive features: it is cross-language, cross level and cross class; it has the possibility of cross level synonymy and cross language correspondence.
It is characterized by special markers of the categorial opposition which can be in various relations to each other: central and peripheral; explicit and implicit; allo-morphic and isomorphic; mutually inclusive and exclusive.