Object–subject–verb word order

Unmarked word order

Natural languages

OSV is rarely used in unmarked sentences, which use a normal word order without emphasis. Most languages that use OSV as their default word order come from the Amazon basin, such as Xavante, Jamamadi, Apurinã, Warao, Kayabí and Nadëb. The Mizo language of the Mizo people of India also uses OSV in unmarked sentences. Here is an example from Apurinã:

anana

pineapple

nota

I

apa

fetch

I fetch a pineapple

British Sign Language (BSL) normally uses topic–comment structure, but its default word order when topic–comment structure is not used is OSV.

Marked word order

Various languages allow OSV word order but only in marked sentences, which emphasise part or all of the sentence.

Chinese

Passive constructions in Chinese languages follow an OSV (OAV) pattern through the use of various particles, such as 被 (bèi) in Mandarin, 畀 (bei2) in Cantonese, and 予 (hō͘) in Hokkien.

• Mandarin:

这

Zhè

this

个

ge

CL

苹果

píngguǒ

apple

被

bèi

by

他

tā

he

吃

chī

eat

掉

diào

了

le

PFV

This apple was eaten by him.

• Cantonese:

呢

Ni¹

this

個

go³

CL

蘋果

ping⁴gwo²

apple

畀

bei²

by

佢

keoi⁵

he

食

sik⁶

eat

咗

zo²

PFV

喇

laa³

SFP

This apple was eaten by him.

• Hokkien:

這

chit

this

粒

lia̍p

CL

蘋果

phông-kó

apple

予

hō͘

by

伊

i

he

食

chia̍h

eat

去

khì

PFV

矣

ah

SFP

This apple was eaten by him.

English

In English, object-subject-verb order is atypical but can be used for contrastive focus, as in: That car we bought at least five years ago. The other one we only bought last year.

Finnish

Finnish has a remarkably flexible word order and so emphasis on the object is often marked simply by putting it first in the sentence. The word by word translation in example (1) would be "you I love!" and expresses a contrast to maybe loving someone else.

(1)

Sinua

2SG.PTV

minä

1SG.NOM

rakastan!

1SG.love.PRS.IND

"I love you!"

This word order is totally natural and quite often used for emphasis. Example (2) expresses the contrast of refusing to eat something else (like something more healthy).

(2)

Suklaata

chocolate.PTV

se

3.SG

kyllä

INT

suostuu

3SG.consent.PRS.IND

syömään

eat.ILL

"Chocolate he does agree to eat."

Hebrew

In Modern Hebrew, OSV is often used instead of the normal SVO to emphasise the object. "אני אוהב אותה" would mean "I love her", but "אותה אני אוהב" would mean "It is she whom I love". Possibly an influence of Germanic (via Yiddish), as Jewish English uses a similar construction ("You, I like, kid") much more than many other varieties of English and often with the "it is" left implicit.

Hungarian

In Hungarian, OSV emphasises the subject:

A szócikket én szerkesztettem = The article I edited (It was I, not somebody else, who edited the article).

Korean and Japanese

Korean and Japanese have SOV by default, but since they are topic-prominent languages, they often seem to be OSV when the object is topicalized. Here is an example in Korean:

그 사과는 제가 먹었어요.

그

geu

that

사과–는

sagwa-neun

apple-TOP

Object

제–가

je-ga

I.POL-NOM

Subject

먹–었–어–요

meog-eoss-eo-yo

eat-PST-DEC-POL

Verb

As for the apple, I ate it. (or) The apple, I ate.

An almost identical syntax is possible in Japanese:

そのりんごは私が食べました。

その

sono

that

りんご゠は

ringo-wa

apple-TOP

Object

私゠が

watashi-ga

I.POL-NOM

Subject

食べ゠まし゠た

tabe-mashi-ta

eat-POL-PST/PERF

Verb

As for the apple, I ate it. (or) The apple, I ate.

Malayalam

OSV is one of the permissible word orders in Malayalam, the other being SOV. Here is an example of this occurring in Malayalam:

ഈ

ī

this

കുമളിപ്പഴം

kumaḷipaẓam

apple

ഞാൻ

ṅāṉ

me

തിന്നു.

ṭinnu

ate

I ate this apple.

Portuguese

OSV is possible in Portuguese to emphasize the object.

De maçã eu não gosto

De

of

maçã

apple

Object

eu

I

Subject

não

NEG

gosto

like-1SG

Verb

I do not like apple

Turkish

OSV is used in Turkish to emphasize the subject:

Yemeği ben pişirdim.

yemeğ-i

meal-ACC

ben

I

pişir-di-m

cook-PST-1SG

It was I, not somebody else, who cooked the meal.