Practice question · Numerical answer
Approximately what percentage of languages with a dominant word order place the subject before the object?
Hints
- Add the shares of the subject-initial orders.
- SOV and SVO together dominate the sample.
Show the answer
86 (answers within ±6 count)
Why
About 86%. SOV and SVO between them take roughly three quarters of all languages, and adding the smaller subject-first orders brings the total to around 86% of those with a dominant order. The verb's position, by contrast, varies freely, the constraint seems to be on the arguments.
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