Basic Word Order (RLE Linguistics B: Grammar)

This book examines the frequencies of the six possible basic word (or constituent) orders (SOV, SVO, VSO, VOS, OSV, OVS) provides a typologically grounded explanation for those frequencies in terms of three independent, functional principles of linguistic organization. From a database of nearly 1,000 languages and their basic constituent orders, a sample of 400 languages was produced that is statistically representative of both the genetic and areal distributions of the world's languages.

Auteur

Russell S Tomlin

Contenu

1. Introduction 2. The Frequency of Basic Constituent Orders 3. The Theme First Principle 4. Verb-Object Bonding 5. The Animated First Principle 6. The Explanation and Concluding Discussion