Practice question · Sort into groups
Sort each property by whether it is typical of VERB-OBJECT languages or of OBJECT-VERB languages.
Groups: Verb–object type · Object–verb type
- Prepositions
- Relative clause before noun
- Main verb before auxiliary
- Noun before relative clause
- Auxiliary before main verb
- Postpositions
Hints
- One type places heads before their dependants; the other reverses it.
- English is verb-object, and its adpositions come before the noun.
Show the answer
Verb–object type: Prepositions, Noun before relative clause, Auxiliary before main verb
Object–verb type: Postpositions, Relative clause before noun, Main verb before auxiliary
Why
The pattern is the harmony: whatever a language does with verb and object, it tends to do with adposition and noun, noun and relative clause, auxiliary and verb. Whether this reflects one parameter, parsing efficiency or historical inheritance is unresolved, and the tendencies are strong rather than exceptionless. English itself puts relative clauses after the noun and adjectives before it.
Practise Universals and Typology
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