Verb–object–subject
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| Word order |
English equivalent |
Proportion of languages |
Example languages |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SOV | "I you love." | 45% |
|
Hindi, Japanese, Latin |
| SVO | "I love you." | 42% |
|
English, Mandarin, Russian |
| VSO | "Love I you." | 9% |
|
Hebrew, Irish, Zapotec |
| VOS | "Love you I." | 3% |
|
Baure, Fijian, Malagasy |
| OVS | "You love I." | 1% |
|
Apalai, Hixkaryana, Tamil |
| OSV | "You I love." | 0% | Jamamadi, Warao, Xavante | |
Frequency distribution of word order in languages
surveyed by Russell S. Tomlin.[1][2]
In linguistic typology, a verb–object–subject or verb–object–agent language – commonly abbreviated VOS or VOA – is one in which the most-typical sentences arrange their elements in that order: "Ate oranges Sam."
Examples include Arabic, Austronesian languages such as Malagasy, Old Javanese, Toba Batak and Fijian, as well as Mayan languages like Tzotzil. However, the Mayan languages and Austronesian languages exhibit properties of ergative languages, thereby making the status of the "subject" (as it has been traditionally defined) unclear at best (see also Austronesian alignment).
[edit] Examples
Formal Arabic is a prime example of a language that uses VOS. For example, the 28th Ayah in Surat Fatir {إِنَّمَا يَخْشَى اللَّهَ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ الْعُلَمَاء}:
| Sentence | يخشى اللهَ العلماءُ | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Words | العلماء | اللهَ | يخشى | ||
| DIN 31635 | al-ʿulamāʾu | Allāha | yaḫšā | ||
| Gloss (words are in reverse order as Arabic is written right-to-left) |
Fear God the servants. | ||||
| Parts | Subject | Object | Verb | ||
| Translation | Servants fear God. | ||||
[edit] See also
- Subject–object–verb
- Subject–verb–object
- Object–subject–verb
- Object–verb–subject
- Verb–subject–object
- Category: VOS languages
[edit] References
- ^ Introducing English Linguistics International Student Edition by Charles F. Meyer
- ^ Russell Tomlin, "Basic Word Order: Functional Principles", Croom Helm, London, 1986, page 22
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