Papago (Tepiman, Uto-Aztecan) (Greenberg 1963: 107, add. note)[but see Comment 3]; Cora (Corachol, Uto-Aztecan) and Tepehuán (Tepiman, Uto-Aztecan) are both VSO but have postpositions; Tetelcingo Aztec (Uto-Aztecan) [but see Comment 4], also VSO, has both prepositions and postpositions (Pickett 1983: 539).Iñapari (Arawak): verb-initial, postpositions; other properties: head-marking, polysynthetic, split-ergative cross-referencing (Parker 1995, reviewed by Aikhenvald 1998).Yagua (Peba-Yaguan): verb-initial, postpositions; other properties: Gen N, N A (Payne 1986). Guajajara (Tupi-Guaraní): verb initial, postpositions; other properties: Gen N, N A (Harrison 1983, 1986).Nomatsiguenga (Arawak): verb-initial, postpositions; other properties: N Gen, N A & A N (Payne 1986: 458, Wise 1971).Majang (Surma, Nilo-Saharan): verb-initial and postpositions (Dryer 1997: 132).Old Egyptian (Afro-Asiatic): VSO and Topic V (Agr) O, prepositions, but also two postpositions (-js ‘like’, -jsT ‘and’) that have been interpreted as relics of Afro-Asiatic case affixes (for details see Zeidler1992: 213-214)(F. Kammerzell, p.c.).Quileute (Chimakuan): verb-initial, postpositions (Payne 1990: 13) [but see Comment 5].
1. Andersen 1979 has argued that the existence and subsequent usage of prepositions or postpositions is not dependent upon the order of verb and object.On the other hand, Dryer 1992: 83 confirms Greenberg’s generalization on the basis of a 434-language sample.2. Cf. Rijkhoff’s claim (#448): If a language has verb-initial word order, then it has prepositions or case prefixes.3. Payne 1987 argues against classifying Papago as VSO. 4. Dryer 2000 classifies Tetelcingo Aztec as SVO.5. Dryer 2000 subsumes “postpositions” under case affixes. 6. Instead of an achronic implication this may be another diachronic one. To the extent that adpositions arise from verbs being grammaticalized, they would be expected to stay on the same side of their NP complements as they were in the source construction relative to their NP objects.
1. Andersen 1979 has argued that the existence and subsequent usage of prepositions or postpositions is not dependent upon the order of verb and object.On the other hand, Dryer 1992: 83 confirms Greenberg’s generalization on the basis of a 434-language sample.2. Cf. Rijkhoff’s claim (#448): If a language has verb-initial word order, then it has prepositions or case prefixes.3. Payne 1987 argues against classifying Papago as VSO. 4. Dryer 2000 classifies Tetelcingo Aztec as SVO.5. Dryer 2000 subsumes “postpositions” under case affixes. 6. Instead of an achronic implication this may be another diachronic one. To the extent that adpositions arise from verbs being grammaticalized, they would be expected to stay on the same side of their NP complements as they were in the source construction relative to their NP objects.