PIE syntax and word-order

[petegray]

>>...a more intimate practice of old IE languages like Latin,
>>Greek, Sanskrit,or Lithuanian would convince you that word-order is not an
>>essential part of their grammar.

>That would be practically impossible, since all of the grammar books I
> trust on those languages say exactly the opposite.

The role of word order in these languages is very well known, and the debate
is in danger of becoming more unhelpful, as it becomes more polarised.  Of
course there is a sense in which both of you are right.

There is an expected, but not necessary word order.  The degree of
expectation is reasonably strong compared with say German, where very small
contextual changes can provoke adjustment of the first element of a
sentence.  In both Latin and Greek, a change from the expected order usually
brings a noticeable emphasis.   Sanskrit is more easily varied.

So word order is not an essential part of the grammar, in one sense, but it
is an essential element of the whole linguistic communication.

Peter