Object–subject–verb


In linguistic typology, object–subject–verb or object–agent–verb 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. Here is an example from Apurinã:
British Sign Language 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, those that emphasise part or all of the sentence.

Arabic

also allows OSV in marked sentences:

Chinese

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

English and German

In English and German, OSV appears primarily in relative clauses if the relative pronoun is the object: "What I do is my own business."
In English, OSV appears in the future tense or as a contrast with the conjunction but.
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", "אותה אני אוהב" would mean "It is she whom I love". Possibly an influence of Germanic, as Jewish English uses a similar construction —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.

Korean and Japanese

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.
An almost identical syntax is possible in Japanese:

Malayalam

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

Nahuatl

OSV emphasises the object in Nahuatl.

Turkish

OSV is used in Turkish to emphasise the subject:
Yemeği ben pişirdim = The meal/I/cooked.