Object–subject–verb

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In linguistic typology, object–subject–verb (OSV) or object–agent–verb (OAV) is a classification of languages, based on whether the structure predominates in pragmatically-neutral expressions. An example of this would be "Oranges Sam ate."

Unmarked word order[]

Natural languages[]

OSV is rarely used in unmarked sentences, those using 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, Kayabí and Nadëb.^[3] An exception to this is Mizo and its sister languages, of Kuki-Chin-Mizo languages in the Tibeto-Burman family of languages. Here is an example from Apurinã:^[3]

anana	nota	apa
pineapple	I	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[]

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

Arabic[]

Arabic also allows OSV in marked sentences:

إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينَ.‎

Iyyāka naʿbudu wa-iyyāka nastaʿīn

You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help.

Chinese[]

Passive constructions in Chinese follow an OSV (OAV) pattern through the use of the particle 被:

这个	橘子	被	我	吃	掉	了
this	orange	by	SUBJ 1SG	eat		PERF
The orange experienced me eating it.

English and German[]

This section needs expansion with: poetry, idioms and topic fronting. You can help by . (July 2021)

In English and German, OSV appears primarily in relative clauses if the relative pronoun is the (direct or indirect) object: "What I do is my own business."^{[citation needed]}

In English, OSV appears in the future tense or as a contrast with the conjunction but.^{[citation needed]}

• Note: The inclusion of the word "But" may be optional.

Hebrew[]

In Modern Hebrew, OSV is often used instead of the normal SVO to emphasise the object: while אני אוהב אותה would mean "I love her", "או��ה אני אוהב" would mean "It is she whom I love".^[4] Possibly an influence of Germanic (via Yiddish), as Jewish English uses a similar construction ("You, I like, kid")—see above —much more than many other varieties of English, and often with the "but" 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 as if they were OSV when the object is topicalized.

Sentence	그 사과는 제가 먹었어요.
Words	그	사과	는	제	가	먹	었	어	요
Romanization	geu	sagwa	neun	je	ga	meok	eoss	eo	yo.
Gloss	the/that	apple	(topic marker)	I (polite)	(sub. marker)	eat	(past)	(declarative)	(polite)
Parts	Object			Subject		Verb
Translation	It is I who ate that apple. (or) As for the apple, I ate it. (or) The apple was eaten by me.

An almost identical syntax is possible in Japanese:

Sentence	そのりんごは私が食べました。
Words	その	りんご	は	私	が	食べ	まし	た。
Romanization	sono	ringo	wa	watashi	ga	tabe	mashi	ta.
Gloss	the/that	apple	(topic marker)	I (polite)	(sub. marker)	eat	(polite)	(past/perfect)
Parts	Object			Subject		Verb
Translation	It is I who ate that apple.

Malayalam[]

OSV is one of two permissible word orders in Malayalam, the other being SOV

Nahuatl[]

OSV emphasises the object in Nahuatl.^[5]

Cah	cihuah	in	niquintlazohtla
(indicative marker)	women	(topicalization marker)	I-them-love
women I love them
It is the women whom I love.

Portuguese[]

OSV is possible in Brazilian Portuguese to emphasize the object.

Turkish[]

OSV is used in Turkish to emphasise the subject:

Yemeği ben pişirdim = The meal/I/cooked (It was I, not somebody else, who cooked the meal).

See also[]

• Subject–object–verb
• Subject–verb–object
• Object–verb–subject
• Verb–object–subject
• Verb–subject–object
• Yoda, a popular Star Wars character who uniquely speaks in object–subject–verb order
• Yoda conditions - a style of writing conditionals in computer programming languages

References[]