Universal #297
Legacy number: 297
| Number | 296 |
| Original | In all languages: if the noun has no case, and the verb has no such categories which could point out the relation of the noun to the verb and the noun to the noun, then SVO, OSV. |
| Standardized | IF nouns do not inflect for case and verbs carry no relational marking either, THEN basic order is SVO or OSV. |
| Keywords | noun, case, verb, order, SVO, OSV, grammatical relations |
| Domain | inflection, syntax |
| Type | implication |
| Status | achronic |
| Quality | absolute? |
| Basis | unspecified |
| Source | see Vardul’ 1969, referring to Rozdestvenskij |
Discussion
Counterexamples
Ancient Egyptian (esp. Old/ Middle Egyptian) and Biblical Hebrew have the basic word order VSO but no case (neither has the verb a category to indicate nominal case) (Carsten Peust, p.c.)
Log in to join the discussion.