Object-initial languages

[Ngoni Chipere]

Dear Ron,

My native language - Shona - has a rich morphology which allows great
variations in word order. It's quite possible to have

VOS
e.g. Anonwa doro Tendai
       He-drinks beer Tendai, i.e. Tendai drinks beer.

OSV
e.g. Doro Tendai anonwa
        Beer Tendai he-drinks, i.e. Tendai drinks beer.

OVS
e.g. Doro anonwa Tendai
      Beer he-drinks Tendai, again meaning Tendai drinks beer.

best,

Ngoni

*********************************************************
Dr Ngoni Chipere
Research Fellow
School of Education, University of Reading
Bulmershe Court, Earley, Reading, RG6 1HY, UK
tel 0118 9875123 ext 4943


> Dear colleagues,
> I his recent textbook, Andrew Carnie (2002) Syntax: A Generative
> Introduction, p. 18-19, says:
> "Oversimplifying slightly, most languages put the order of elements in
> a sentence in one of the following word orders: SVO, SOV, VSO. A few
> languages use VOS. No (or almost no)(6) languages use OSV, OVS."
> Note (6) reads:
> "This is a matter of some debate. Derbyshire (1985) has claimed that the
> language Hixkaryana has object initial order."
> Obviously, the very definition of the term subject (and object) may
> depend on theoretical considerations (ergative languages?), and so would
> the idea of the unmarked or default order.
> I am interested in functionally-oriented comments on this issue. Are
> there really no object initial languages?
> Thanks
> Roni
> ====================================
>                  Dr. Ron Kuzar
> Address:   Department of English Language and Literature
>                  University of Haifa
>                  IL-31905 Haifa, Israel
> Office:       +972-4-824-9826, fax: +972-4-824-9711
> Home:       +972-2-6414780, Cellular: +972-5-481-9676
> Email:        kuzar at research.haifa.ac.il
> Site:ý          http://research.haifa.ac.il/~kuzar
> ====================================
>