Universal #1340

Legacy number: 1340

 Number  1336
 Original  Universal Hierarchy of Markedness of basic word orders:
SOV < SVO < OVS < VOS < VSO < OSV
 Standardized  Universal Hierarchy of Markedness of basic word orders:
SOV < SVO < OVS < VOS < VSO < OSV
 Keywords  order, hierarchy, markedness, SOV, SVO, OVS, VOS, VSO, OSV<br>
 Domain  syntax
 Type  implication
 Status  achronic
 Quality  absolute
 Basis  languages mentioned in Moreno 1987
 Source  Moreno 1987: 186

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Discussion
Notes
1. According to Moreno, VSO does not do so well because it violates contiguity of functionally related categories, viz. V and O. However, the principle of S-before-O may ultimately rank it above contiguous OVS and VOS. 2. For possible variants, apart from mentioning the examples of Warao (Paezan) (basic: OSV, variant: SOV), Hixkaryana (Ge-Pano-Carib) (basic: OVS, variant: SOV), and Irish (Celtic, Indo-European) (basic: VSO, variant: SVO), Moreno seems to rely on Dezsö (1970: 53), who gives these correspondences (see #1339):Basic: OSV - Variants: SOV;Basic: OVS - Variants: SOV, SVO;Basic: VSO - Variants: SVO, VOS;Basic: VOS - Variants: SOV, SVO;3. See more recent work on word order flexibility, including these collections: Payne (ed.) 1992, Downing & Noonan (eds.) 1995, Siewierska (ed.) 1998.
Comment
Frans Plank · 3 Aug 2006
1. According to Moreno, VSO does not do so well because it violates contiguity of functionally related categories, viz. V and O. However, the principle of S-before-O may ultimately rank it above contiguous OVS and VOS.

2. For possible variants, apart from mentioning the examples of Warao (Paezan) (basic: OSV, variant: SOV), Hixkaryana (Ge-Pano-Carib) (basic: OVS, variant: SOV), and Irish (Celtic, Indo-European) (basic: VSO, variant: SVO), Moreno seems to rely on Dezsö 1970: 53, who gives these correspondences (see <a class="innerLink" href="browse.php?entry_id=1339"><img src="../img/entry.gif" border="0">):
Basic: OSV - Variants: SOV;
Basic: OVS - Variants: SOV, SVO;
Basic: VSO - Variants: SVO, VOS;
Basic: VOS - Variants: SOV, SVO;

3. See more recent work on word order flexibility, including these collections: Payne (ed.) 1992, Downing & Noonan (eds.) 1995, Siewierska (ed.) 1998.