Verb–subject–object
| Word order |
English equivalent |
Proportion of languages |
Example languages |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SOV | "She him loves." | 45% |
|
Japanese, Latin, Tamil |
| SVO | "She loves him." | 42% |
|
English, Mandarin, Russian |
| VSO | "Loves she him." | 9% |
|
Hebrew, Irish, Zapotec |
| VOS | "Loves him she." | 3% |
|
Malagasy, Baure |
| OVS | "Him loves she." | 1% |
|
Apalai?, Hixkaryana? |
| OSV | "Him she loves." | 0% | Warao | |
Frequency distribution of word order in languages
surveyed by Russell S. Tomlin in 1980s.[1][2]
In linguistic typology, a verb–subject–object (VSO) language is one in which the most typical sentences arrange their elements in that order, as in Ate Sam oranges (Sam ate oranges). VSO is the third-most common word order, after SOV (as in Latin and Japanese) and SVO (as in Standard Average European).
Examples of languages with VSO word order include Semitic languages (including formal (especially Classical) Arabic, Classical Hebrew, and Ge'ez (Classical Ethiopic)), and Celtic languages (including Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Manx, Welsh, and Breton).
Other families where all or many of languages are VSO include the following
- the Afroasiatic languages (including the Berber languages and the Egyptian language)
- the Mayan languages (including Classic Maya)
- the Otomanguean languages (including Zapotec languages and Mixtecan languages)
- the Salishan languages
- the Austronesian languages (including Tagalog, Cebuano, Hawaiian, Pangasinan, Māori, Malagasy, and Tongan).
Both the Spanish and Greek language resemble Semitic languages such as Arabic in allowing for both VSO and SVO structures: e.g. "Jesús vino el jueves" / Vino Jesús el jueves, "Tu madre dice que no vayas"/"dice tu madre que no vayas". In Spanish, the only restriction on the VSO form is for the object to require a definite or indefinite article in the sentence.
Contents |
Examples [edit]
Formal Arabic is an example of a language that uses VSO. For example:
| Sentence | .قرأ المدرس الكتاب | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Words * | الكتاب | المدرس | قرأ | ||
| Transliteration | Qaraʼa l-mudarrisu l-kitāba. | ||||
| Gloss | read | the teacher | the book | ||
| Parts | Verb | Subject | Object | ||
| Translation | The teacher read the book. | ||||
^* Words are in reverse order as Arabic is written right-to-left
In Welsh, some tenses use simple verbs, which are found at the beginning of the sentence followed by the subject and any objects. An example of this is the preterite:
| Sentence | Siaradodd Aled y Gymraeg. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Words | Siaradodd | Aled | y Gymraeg |
| Gloss | spoke | Aled | DEF Welsh |
| Parts | Verb | Subject | Object |
| Translation | Aled spoke Welsh. | ||
Other tenses may use compound verbs, where the conjugated form of, usually, bod (to be) precedes the subject and other verb-nouns come after the subject. Any objects then follow the final verb-noun. This is the usual method of forming the present tense:
| Sentence | Mae Aled yn siarad y Gymraeg. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Words | Mae | Aled | yn siarad | y Gymraeg |
| Gloss | is | Aled | V-N.speak | DEF Welsh |
| Parts | Aux. Verb | Subject | Verb-Noun | Object |
| Translation | Aled speaks Welsh. | |||
VSO order is also allowed in Portuguese; although uncommon, it occurs in the Brazilian National Anthem at the first strophe:
| Sentence | Ouviram do Ipiranga as margens plácidas de um povo heróico o brado retumbante. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Words | Ouviram | as margens plácidas | o brado retumbante |
| Gloss | heard | the placid banks | the resounding cry |
| Parts | Verb | Subject | Object |
| Translation | The placid banks of Ipiranga heard the resounding cry of a heroic people. | ||
Inversion into VSO [edit]
There are many languages that switch from SVO (subject–verb–object) order to VSO order with different constructions, usually for emphasis. For example, sentences in English poetry can sometimes be found to have a VSO order; Arabic sentences use an SVO order or a VSO order depending on whether the subject or the verb is more important. Also, Arabic sentences use a VOS order, the construction of the word changing depending on whether it is a subject or an object.
Non-VSO languages that use VSO word order in questions include English and many other Germanic languages, French, Finnish, Maká, Emilian, and Spanish (but not always).
Swedish, Danish and Norwegian invert word order to VSO in questions as well, (ex: Spiste du maten? - Ate you the food?) but there are also many circumstances, such as an expression preceding the subject and verb, and when using the preterite form of a verb (ex: Igår leste (V) jeg (S) boka (O) - Yesterday read I the book), where the order is also VSO.
See also [edit]
- Subject–object–verb
- Subject–verb–object
- Object–subject–verb
- Object–verb–subject
- Verb–object–subject
- Category:Verb–subject–object languages
Notes and references [edit]
- ^ Introducing English Linguistics International Student Edition by Charles F. Meyer
- ^ Russell Tomlin, "Basic Word Order: Functional Principles", Croom Helm, London, 1986, page 22
