| 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–subject–object (VSO) language is one in which the most-typical sentences arrange their elements in that order, as in Ate Sam oranges. VSO is perhaps the third-most common word order, after SOV (as in Latin and Japanese) and SVO (as in Standard Average European).
Examples of languages with VSO word order include Semitic languages (including formal (especially Classical) Arabic, Classical Hebrew, and Ge'ez (Classical Ethiopic)), and Celtic languages (including Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Manx,Welsh, and Breton).
Other families where all or many of languages are VSO include the following
Contents |
Formal Arabic is an example of a language that uses VSO. For example:
| Sentence | قرأ المدرس الكتاب | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Words | الكتاب | المدرس | قرأ | ||
| DIN 31635 transliteration | al-kitāba | al-mudarrisu | Qara'a | ||
| Gloss (words are in reverse order as Arabic is written right-to-left) |
Read the teacher the book. | ||||
| Parts | Object | Subject | Verb | ||
| Translation | The teacher read the book. | ||||
In Welsh, some tenses use simple verbs, which are found at the beginning of the sentence followed by the subject and any objects. An example of this is the preterite:
| Sentence | Siaradodd Aled y Gymraeg | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Words | Siaradodd | Aled | y Gymraeg |
| Gloss | spoke | Aled | DEF Welsh |
| Parts | Verb | Subject | Object |
| Translation | Aled spoke Welsh | ||
Other tenses may use compound verbs, where the conjugated form of, usually, bod (to be) precedes the subject and other verb-nouns come after the subject. Any objects then follow the final verb-noun. This is the usual method of forming the present tense:
| Sentence | Mae Aled yn siarad y Gymraeg | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Words | Mae | Aled | yn siarad | y Gymraeg |
| Gloss | is | Aled | V-N.speak | DEF Welsh |
| Parts | Aux. Verb | Subject | Verb-Noun | Object |
| Translation | Aled speaks Welsh | |||
VSO order is also allowed in Portuguese; although uncommon, it occurs in the Brazilian National Anthem at the first strophe:
| Sentence | Ouviram do Ipiranga as margens plácidas de um povo heróico o brado retumbante. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Words | Ouviram | as margens plácidas | o brado retumbante |
| Gloss | heard | the placid banks | the resounding cry |
| Parts | Verb | Subject | Object |
| Translation | The placid banks of Ipiranga heard the resounding cry of a heroic people | ||
There are many languages which switch from SVO (subject–verb–object) order to VSO order with different constructions, usually for emphasis. For example, sentences in English poetry can sometimes be found to have a VSO order; Arabic sentences use an SVO order or a VSO order depending on whether the subject or the verb is more important. Also, Arabic sentences use a VOS order as the construction of the word changes depending on whether it is a subject or an object.
Non-VSO languages that use VSO word order in questions include English and many other Germanic languages, French, Finnish, Maká, and Spanish (though not always). Swedish and Danish inverts word order to VSO in questions as well, but there are also many circumstances, such as an expression preceding the subject and verb, in which the order is VSO as well.