What's the neutral order of Subject, verb, object in a given language?
Over 75% of the world's languages put the subject first.
SVO - He killed the dragon - Most common type (40%)
Found in English, Chinese, Vietnamese, Hausa, etc.
SOV - He the dragon killed - Also very common (35%)
Found in Japanese, Korean, Georgian, Cherokee, Tibetan,
Navajo, Ket, etc.
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Verb-initial is less than 25% of languages.
VSO - Killed he the dragon - (15%)
Found in Welsh, Hawaiian, Squamish.
VOS -Killed the dragon he - (less than 10%)
Found in Malagasy, Tzotsil (in Mexico).
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The rarest word order type is object-initial.
OVS - A dragon killed he. (less than 1%)
Found in Hixkaryana and a few other Amazonian languages.
OSV - A dragon he killed.- (less than 1%)
Found in Apurina and a few other Amazonian languages.
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English allows various stylistic uses of word order:
SOV: Pensive poets painful vigils keep. (Pope)
VSO: Govern thought my song. (Milton)
OSV: What fools these mortals be. (Shakespeare)
OSV: A sign you shall see. Your father he is.(Yoda in Star Wars)