View source for Verb–object–subject word order

{{short description|Basic word order type}}
{{cleanup lang|date=June 2021}}
In [[linguistic typology]], a '''[[verb]]–[[Object (grammar)|object]]–[[Subject (grammar)|subject]]''' or '''verb–object–[[Agent (grammar)|agent]]''' language, which is commonly abbreviated '''VOS''' or '''VOA''', is one in which most sentences arrange their elements in that order. That would be the equivalent in [[English language|English]] to "Ate apples Sam." The relatively rare default word order accounts for only 3% of the world's languages. It is the fourth-most common default [[word order]] among the world's languages out of the six. It is a more common default permutation than [[object–verb–subject|OVS]] and [[object–subject–verb|OSV]] but is significantly rarer than [[subject–object–verb|SOV]] (as in [[Hindi]] and [[Japanese language|Japanese]]), [[subject–verb–object|SVO]] (as in [[English language|English]] and [[Mandarin Chinese|Mandarin]]), and [[verb–subject–object|VSO]] (as in [[Filipino language|Filipino]] and [[Irish language|Irish]]).<ref name="Tomlin 1986" /> Families in which all or many of their languages are VOS include the following:

* the [[Algonquian languages|Algonquian]] family (including [[Ojibwe language|Ojibwa]])
* the [[Arawakan languages|Arawakan]] family (including [[Baure language|Baure]] and [[Terêna language|Terêna]])
* the [[Austronesian languages|Austronesian]] family (including [[Dusun language|Dusun]], [[Malagasy language|Malagasy]], [[Toba Batak language|Toba Batak]], [[Tukang Besi language|Tukang Besi]], [[Palauan language|Palauan]], [[Gilbertese language|Gilbertese]], [[Fijian language|Fijian]] and [[Tsou language|Tsou]])
* the [[Chumashan languages|Chumash]] family (including Inoseño Chumash)
* the [[Mayan languages|Mayan]] family (including [[Huastec language|Huastec]], [[Yucatec Maya language|Yucatec]], [[Mopan language|Mopán]], [[Lacandon language|Lacondón]], [[Chʼol language|Chol]], [[Tzeltal language|Tzeltal]], [[Tzotzil language|Tzotzil]], [[Chuj language|Chuj]], [[Tojolabʼal language|Tojolabal]], [[Kaqchikel language|Cakchiquel]], [[Tzʼutujil language|Tzutujil]], [[Sakapultek language|Sacapultec]], [[Poqomam language|Pocomam]], [[Pocomchi language|Pocomchí]] and [[Qʼeqchiʼ language|Kekchi]])
* the [[Oto-Manguean languages|Otomanguean]] family (including [[Northwestern Otomi|Mezquital Otomi]] and [[Sierra Otomi|Highland Otomi]])
* the [[Salishan languages|Salishan]] family (including [[Coeur d'Alene language|Coeur d'Alene]] and [[Twana language|Twana]])

==Incidence==
{{Language word order frequency}}
===Typology===
VOS word order is the fourth-most-common of the world's languages,<ref name="Tomlin 1986" /><!--Note: this reference is from the "Language word order frequency" template--> and has [[verb-initial word order]], like [[verb-subject-object|VSO]]. Very few languages have a fixed VOS word order, most primarily in the [[Austronesian languages|Austronesian]] and [[Mayan languages|Mayan]] language families.<ref name="Chung 2006 p685-720" /> Many verb-initial languages exhibit a flexible word order (such as [[St’át’imcets]], [[Chamorro language|Chamorro]], and [[Tongan language|Tongan]]), alternating between VOS and VSO.<ref name="Bury 2010">{{cite journal|last1=Bury|first1=Dirk|date=February 2010|title=Verb-second, particles, and flexible verb-initial orders|journal=Lingua|volume=120|issue=2|pages=303–314|doi=10.1016/j.lingua.2008.10.006}}</ref> VOS and VSO are usually classified as [[verb-initial word order|verb-initial]] because they share many similar properties, such as the absence of the verb "have" and [[predicate (grammar)|predicate]]-initial grammar.

Though not as universal, many verb-initial languages also have [[ergativity|ergative clauses]]. For instance, most [[Mayan languages]] have an [[ergative-absolutive]] system of verb agreement and some [[Austronesian languages]] have an ergative-absolutive system of [[case marking]] (see also [[symmetrical voice]]).<ref name="Chung 2006 p685-720" />

==Occurrence==
VOS occurs in many languages, including [[Austronesian languages]] (such as [[Malagasy language|Malagasy]], [[Old Javanese]], [[Toba Batak language|Toba Batak]], [[Kadazan Dusun language|Dusun]], and [[Fijian language|Fijian]]), [[Mayan languages]] (such as [[Kaqchikel language|Kaqchikel]] and [[Tzotzil language|Tzotzil]]), and even [[Assyrian Neo-Aramaic]], the last of which has a very free [[word order]] with inversions.

In [[Hadza language|Hadza]], the default order is [[verb–subject–object|VSO]], but VOS is very common as well.<ref name="Dryer 2000">{{cite web |url=http://www.sfs.uni-tuebingen.de/~gjaeger/lehre/ws0910/languagesOfTheWorld/word.order.shopen.pdf |last=Dryer |first=Matthew S. |title=Word Order |publisher=[[University of Tübingen]] Department of Linguistics |year=2000 |access-date=28 April 2017}}</ref> This is also the case for some [[Salishan languages]].

In [[Arabic]], the typical order is [[verb–subject–object|VSO]], but VOS is an option and in some sentences mandatory.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://mawdoo3.com/تقديم_المفعول_به_على_الفاعل | title=تقديم المفعول به على الفاعل }}</ref>

=== Arabic (special cases) ===
[[Classical Arabic]] has free word order due to its use of [[ʾIʿrab|case endings]] to mark grammatical case, but [[Verb–subject–object word order|VSO]] sentences are the default. [[Modern Standard Arabic]] is more likely to use [[Subject–verb–object word order|SVO]] order (under the influence of [[varieties of Arabic|colloquial varieties]] which prefer or require it due to the loss of case endings). However, VOS order is sometimes used in both Classical and Modern Standard Arabic in special cases.

The first table (note that Arabic is written from right to left) will illustrate the SVO form of the sentence, the second table will illustrate the VSO form, and the third table will illustrate the VOS form:

{{fs interlinear|lang=ar|indent=3
|top= '''SVO form:'''
| الدرس قرأ المعلم 
| ad-darsa qaraʾa al-muʿallimu
| DEF-lesson PST-read-3SG DEF-teacher
| Object Verb Subject|style4= font-variant: small-caps;
| The teacher read the lesson}}

{{fs interlinear|lang=ar|indent=3
|top= '''VSO form:'''
| الدرس المعلم قرأ
| ad-darsa al-muʿallimu qaraʾa
| DEF-lesson DEF-teacher PST-read-3SG
| Object Subject Verb|style4= font-variant: small-caps;
| The teacher read the lesson}}

{{fs interlinear|lang=ar|indent=3
|top= '''VOS form:'''
| المعلم الدرس قرأ
| al-muʿallimu ad-darsa qaraʾa
| DEF-teacher DEF-lesson PST-read-3SG
| Subject Object Verb|style4= font-variant: small-caps;
| The teacher read the lesson}}

The first table is meant to give a basic understanding of the general form of sentences in Arabic.

The second table displays a VSO sentence in which the verb appears at the beginning of the sentence and is followed by the subject and the object. Such a sentence is produced by moving the verb to the empty CP, which is the sister of the IP, and results in the production from SVO to VOS. The subject (the teacher) uses the [[nominative]] case, and the object (the lesson) uses the [[accusative]] case.

The third table displays a VOS sentence. At first glance, that process seems very similar to the VSO word order, but the reality is rather different. Rather than the V moving forward, the S actually moves from the beginning position of SVO to the end position of VOS. That is because of a process known as subject adjunction in which the subject may be unmentioned. Here is an example of subject adjunction:

:'''Context''': *The teacher has taught a class and read a specific lesson. Both speakers are wary that either a male or female teacher read a specific lesson.

:'''Question:''' "Who read the lesson?

:'''Response: He''' read the lesson/The teacher read the lesson

Based on the context provided, both speakers are wary of a specific lesson taking place and refer to a set of entities being a male and a female teacher. To differentiate between both entities, the use of an [[anaphora (linguistics)|anaphoric]] expression matching in gender results in the capability to differentiate between them. One of the qualities of Arabic [[verbal morphology]] is the immediate integration of gender and plurality in the verb. As a result, the subject no longer needs to be mentioned since there is an anaphora attached to the verb. Since the subject has been moved to the end of the sentence, the property of [[extended projection principle]] must be fulfilled since there is no specifier. The specifier of the inflectional phrase is thus [[PRO (linguistics)|PRO]]. The subject (the teacher) uses the nominative case, and the object (the lesson) uses an accusative case.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Bassam|first1=Hammo|last2=Mouaiddin|last3=Nadim|last4=Abeer|title=Formal Description of Arabic Syntactic Structure in the Framework of the Government and Binding Theory|journal=Computación y Sistemas|volume=18|issue=3|doi=10.13053/CyS-18-3-2017|year=2014|url=https://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=61532067015 }}</ref>

=== Baure ===
[[Baure language|Baure]] is an [[Arawakan languages|Arawakan]] language that also follows [[verb-initial word order]]. One of Baure's primary features is the importance in agreement of [[phi features]]. This example illustrates not only the verb-object-subject order but also the affixes for each verb:<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Keine|first=Stefanie|date=Summer 2012|title=How complex are complex words? Evidence from linearization§|journal=Lingua|volume=122|issue=12|pages=1268–1281|doi=10.1016/j.lingua.2012.06.006}}</ref>

{{interlinear |lang=brg |indent=3
|Pi-am-ri wapoeri-ye pi{{=}}kowyo-čo ti monči
|2SG{{=}}take{{=}}3SG.F river-LOC 2SG{{=}}bath-APPL dem1.F child
|V-transitive Object V-transitive {} Subject|style3= font-variant: small-caps;
|Take her to the river and bathe the child.
}}

That sentence displays a transitive verb with markers, indicating agreement in phi features for the subject and the object. The analysis of each affix is as follows:

#'''Pi (1):''' The "Pi" refers to the second-person singular, indicating that the sentence involves direct conversation. One may assume that the person being identified is "you."
#'''Ri:''' The "Ri" refers to a third-person entity that is feminine. The sentence states "take '''her''' to the..." and so the "Ri" acts like the pronoun "her."
#'''Pi (2):''' The "Pi" of the second word refers to the same person with whom is directly conversed, "you."
#'''Čo:''' The "čo" refers to the applied form since it matches the suffix of the first verb, which refers to "her." However, in the sentence, it contributes to no semantic meaning.

=== Cantonese (special cases) ===
Despite being a [[Subject–verb–object|SVO]] language, there is evidence to suggest that [[Cantonese]] uses [[Verb–subject–object|VOS]] word order in some cases, such as in casual speech or [[relative clauses]].

====Relative clause====
Unlike [[English language|English]], which places a relative clause (RC) after the head noun that it modifies, [[Cantonese]] is very unusual among [[Subject–verb–object|SVO]] languages by placing relative clauses before head nouns and by having prenominal relative clauses, which cause a VOS word order, as is seen in most subject-gapped relative clauses.<ref name=":0">Chan, Angel & Matthews, Stephen & Yip, Virginia. (2011). The acquisition of relative clauses in Cantonese and Mandarin. 10.1075/tilar.8.10cha.</ref> Object-gapped relative clauses do not follow a VOS word order.

'''Subject-gapped RCs and object-gapped RCs in English:'''

Subject-gapped RC:
{| class="wikitable"
!Sentence
|The
|mouse
|that's
|kissing
|the
|chicken
|-
!Parts
| colspan="2" |Subject
|
|Verb
|
|Object
|-
!Head Noun and RC Gap
| colspan="2" |Head noun
| colspan="4" |Relative Clause
|}
The head noun, "mouse," is placed before the relative clause (postnominal RC) in a subject-gapped RC in English. That is not the case in Cantonese and Mandarin in which head nouns are always placed after the RC (prenominal RC).

Object-gapped RC:
{| class="wikitable"
!Sentence
|The
|chicken
|that
|the
|mouse's
|kissing
|-
!Parts
| colspan="2" |Object
| colspan="2" |
|Subject
|Verb
|-
!Head Noun and RC Gap
| colspan="2" |Head noun
| colspan="4" |Relative Clause
|}
In object-gapped RCs, the object is placed before the relative clause in English.

===== Example of subject-gapped RC in Cantonese:<ref name=":0" />=====
{| class="wikitable"
!Gloss
| {{fs interlinear
  | 錫 公雞
  | sek3 {gung1 gai1}
  | kiss chicken
  | {{sc|Verb}} {{sc|Object}}
  |}}
| {{fs interlinear
  | 嗰 隻 老鼠
  | go2 zek3 {lou5 syu2}
  | that {{gcl|CL|classifier|Chinese classifier}} mouse
  | {} {} {{sc|Subject}}
  |}}
|-
!Head Noun and RC Gap
| Relative Clause
| Head Noun
|-
!Translation
| colspan="2" | The mouse that kisses the chicken.
|}

A subject-gapped RC behaves differently in Cantonese from English by being after the head noun (prenominal RC), which always yields a VOS order. It is extremely rare for SVO languages to adopt a prenominal RC structure. In a sample of 756 languages, only 5 languages have that VOS combination (less than 0.01%), one of which is Cantonese.<ref name=":3">Dryer, M 2005. The relationship between the order of object and verb and the order of relative clause and non. In The World Altas of Language Structures, M. Hapselmath, M. Dryer, D. Gil, & B. Comrie (eds), Chapter 96, Oxford: OUP</ref>

====Casual speech====
In casual speech, Cantonese-speakers often produce a VOS sentence in answering a question.

=====Example=====
Here is a typical response for a question such as "你食左飯未呀?", which translates to "did you eat yet?" in English.
{| class="wikitable"
!Sentence
|食
|左
|飯
|啦
|我
|-
!Romanization
|sik6
|zo2
|faan6
|laa1
|ngo5
|-
!Gloss
| colspan="2" |ate
|rice
|[[sentence-final particle]]
|me
|-
!Parts
| colspan="2" |Verb
|Object
|
|Subject
|-
!Translation
| colspan="5" |I ate rice.
|}

=== Ch'ol ===
[[Ch'ol language|Ch'ol]] is another ergative [[Mayan language]] that is one of the [[Ch'olan-Tzeltalan languages|Ch'olan-Tseltalan]] and has VOS as its basic word order. Subjects, objects, and possessors (nominal arguments) [[pro-drop language|may be omitted]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Coon|first=Jessica|date=2010|title=VOS as predicate fronting in Chol|journal=Lingua|language=en|volume=120|issue=2|pages=354–378|doi=10.1016/j.lingua.2008.07.006}}</ref>

{{interlinear |lang=ctu |indent=3
|Tyi i-kuch-u si` aj-Maria
|PFV 3-SG.ERG-carry-TR wood DET-Maria
|{} {Verb (transitive)} Object Subject|style3= font-variant: small-caps;
|Maria carried wood.
}}

Clemens and Coon propose that the language has three paths that motivate three types of VOS clauses:<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Clemens|first1=Lauren|last2=Coon|first2=Jessica|date=2018|title=Deriving verb-initial word order in Mayan|journal=Language|language=en|volume=94|issue=2|pages=237–280|doi=10.1353/lan.2018.0017|s2cid=149936666|issn=1535-0665}}</ref>

# Subjects contained in the high topic position after the verbs
# Phonologically-heavy subjects are NP-shifted
# Bare NP objects undergo prosodic reordering

Ch'ol objects in a VOS order are generally not full DPs, or the sentence is ungrammatical. The order is derived as VSO if the object is a full DP, as is shown in the table:

{{interlinear |lang=ctu |indent=3
|Tyi i-kuch-u aj-Maria ili si`
|PFV 3-SG.ERG-carry-SS CLF-Maria DEM wood
|{} V S {} O|style3= font-variant: small-caps;
|Maria carried this wood.
}}

If the postverbal argument in the example above were a bare NP (without a determiner), instead of a proper name, there would have been a natural interpretation of the VOS order.

=== Coeur d'Alene ===
Coeur d’Alene is a [[Salishan language]] that has VOS as its dominant word order but does use word order to distinguish subject nouns from object nouns or agent nouns from patient nouns.<ref name=":7">{{Cite journal|last=Morgan|first=Lawrence R.|date=1985|title=Northwest Language In Search of a Universal Word Order Typology}}</ref> 
{| class="wikitable"
| colspan="2" |Verb-transitive
|Indirect object
|Direct object
|(Agent-)Subject
|-
| colspan="2" |tšiɫts
|xʷää ban
|xʷaa mimš
|xʷa 'aa djən
|-
| colspan="2" |he gave it to him
|the Ben
|the box
|by John
|-
| colspan="5" rowspan="2" |“John gave the box to Ben”
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|Verb-passive
|Direct Object
|Subject
|Agent (non-subject)
|-
|itši᷄ɫtəm
|xʷamimš
|xʷä bän
|xʷa ˀa djən
|-
|he is being given
|the box
|the Ben
|by John
|-
| colspan="4" |“Ben is being given the box by John”
|}

=== European Portuguese ===
Portuguese is a [[Western Romance languages|Western Romance language]] spoken in many places around the globe: [[Portugal]], [[Brazil]], [[Macau]], etc. The language is split into [[European Portuguese]] and [[Brazilian Portuguese]]. European Portuguese is said to have a very flexible word order, and one of its grammatical possibilities is VOS.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RQuTd_ukGwcC&q=how+vos+word+order+is+derived&pg=PA69|title=Dimensions of Movement: From Features to Remnants|last1=Alexiadou|first1=Artemis|last2=Universalienforschung|first2=Zentrum für Allgemeine Sprachwissenschaft, Typologie und|last3=Linguistik|first3=Universität Potsdam Institut für|last4=Taalwetenschap|first4=Landelijke Onderzoekschool|date=2002|publisher=John Benjamins Publishing|isbn=978-1-58811-185-2|pages=69|language=en}}</ref>

{{interlinear |lang=pt |indent=3
|Comeu a sopa o Paul
|ate-3SG the soup {} Paul
|Verb {} Object {} Subject|style3= font-variant: small-caps;
|Paul ate the soup
}}

=== Halkomelem ===
[[Halkomelem language|Halkomelem]], an aboriginal language in [[British Columbia]], has the same basic characteristics the other Salish languages by being inherently VSO. However, VOS is also sometimes possible. While some speakers do not accept VOS as grammatical, others allow it depending on the [[context (language use)|context]]. VOS may occur if there are two direct [[noun phrases]] in a clause, and the object is [[animacy|inanimate]].<ref name="Gerdts 2000">{{Cite journal|last1=Gerdts|first1=Donna B|last2=Hukari|first2=Thomas E|date=July 2000|title=A-Subjects and Control in Halkomelem|url=https://web.stanford.edu/group/cslipublications/cslipublications/HPSG/2000/hpsg00gerdts-hukari.pdf|journal=The Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Head-Driven Phrase Structure Grammar|publication-date=March 2001|pages=100–123|issn=1535-1793|via=[[Stanford University]]}}</ref> Also, VOS is used if the content of the phrase disambiguates the [[agent (grammar)|agent]] from the [[patient (grammar)|patient]]:<ref name="Salish Applicatives">{{Citation|last1=Kiyosawa|first1=Kaoru|title=Salish Applicatives|date=2010|page=25|place=Leiden|publisher=Brill|isbn=978-9004183933|last2=Gerdts|first2=Donna B.}}</ref>

{{interlinear|indent=3|glossing=no abbr
| niʔ pən-ət-əs ɫə q́emiʔ kʷθə sqewθ
| AUX plant-TR-3SUB DET girl DET potato
| {} Verb {} Subject {} Object|style3= font-variant: small-caps;
| The girl planted the potatoes}}

{{interlinear|indent=3|glossing=no abbr
| niʔ pən-ət-əs kʷθə sqewθ ɫə q́emiʔ
| AUX plant-TR-3SUB DET potato DET girl
| {} Verb {} Subject {} Object|style3= font-variant: small-caps;
| The girl planted the potatoes}}
 
The sentences below indicate that the object in a VOS sentence in Halkomelem is interpreted in its base position (VSO) for the purposes of [[binding (linguistics)|binding theory]].<ref name="Syntax of Pronouns">{{cite journal|last=Wiltschko|first=Martina|author-link=Martina Wiltschko|date=February 2002|title=The Syntax of Pronouns: Evidence from Halkomelem Salish|journal=Natural Language & Linguistic Theory|volume=20|issue=1|pages=177–179|doi=10.1023/A:1014214222614|jstor=4048052|s2cid=169077628}}</ref>

{{interlinear|indent=3|glossing=no abbr
| hélpex-es [te sthóq’i-s]ₒ [te Strang]s
| eat-3S DET fish-3POSS DET Strang
| Verb {} Object {} Subject|style3= font-variant: small-caps;
| Strang is eating his fish}}

{{interlinear|indent=3|glossing=no abbr
| *hélpex-es [te sthóq’i-s tú-tl’òᵢ]ₒ [te Strangᵢ]s
| eat-3S DET fish-3POSS DET-3INDEP DET Strang
| Verb {} Object {} {} Subject|style3= font-variant: small-caps;
| Strang is eating his fish}}

=== Italian (special case) ===
[[Italian language|Italian]] is most commonly a SVO language, but [[inversion (linguistics)|inversion]] can occur.<ref name="Burzio 1986">{{Cite book|title=Italian Syntax: A Government-Binding Approach|last=Burzio|first=Luigi|date=1986|publisher=Springer Netherlands|isbn=9789400945227|location=Dordrecht, Netherlands|pages=85–90|oclc=851386374}}</ref> If the subject may appear before the verb, it may appear also after the verb. VSO and VOS order, however, are notably rare, especially the latter.<ref name="Chung 2006 p685-720" />

{{interlinear |lang=it |indent=3
|Esamineranno il caso molti esperti.
|will.examine-3PL the case many experts
|Verb {} Object {} Subject|style3= font-variant: small-caps;
|Many experts will examine the case.
}}

=== Kaqchikel ===
Kaqchikel is an ergative and [[head-marking language|head-marking]] Mayan language in [[Guatemala]]. There is no [[case marking]] on the subject or the object. Instead, the verb classifies the person and numeric (plural or singular) agreement of the subjects and objects.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Koizumi|first1=Masatoshi|last2=Yasugi|first2=Yoshiho|last3=Tamaoka|first3=Katsuo|last4=Kiyama|first4=Sachiko|last5=Kim|first5=Jungho|last6=Ajsivinac Sian|first6=Juan Esteban|last7=García Mátzar|first7=Lolmay Pedro Oscar|date=2014|title=On the (non)universality of the preference for subject-object word order in sentence comprehension: A sentence-processing study in Kaqchikel Maya|journal=Language|language=en|volume=90|issue=3|pages=722–736|doi=10.1353/lan.2014.0068|s2cid=146776347|issn=1535-0665}}</ref> Kaqchikel's basic structure is VOS, but the language allows for other word orders such as SVO. Since the language is head-marking, a sentence focuses on the subject that is before the verb. A sentence may be either VOS or VSO if switching the subject and the object semantically changes the meaning, but VOS is more common. An example is shown in the table below:
{| class="wikitable"
!Sentence
|X-∅-u-chöy
|ri
|chäj / '''ajanel'''
|ri
|ajanel / '''chäj'''
|-
!Gloss
|CP-ABS3sg-ERG3sg-cut
|DET
|pine.tree / '''carpenter'''
|DET
|carpenter / '''pine.tree'''
|-
!Parts
|Verb
|
|Object / '''Subject'''
|
|Subject / '''Object'''
|-
!Translation
| colspan="5" |The carpenter cut the pine tree.
|}

===Malagasy===
[[Malagasy language|Malagasy]] is an [[Austronesian language]] that is the national language of [[Madagascar]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ethnologue.com/language/mlg|title=A macrolanguage of Madagascar|year=2017|editor-last=Simons|editor-first=Gary F|editor2-last=Fennig|editor2-first=Charles D|website=Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Twentieth edition|publisher=SIL International|location=Dallas, Texas|access-date=5 December 2017}}</ref> It is a classic example of a language that has a fixed VOS structure:<ref name="Chung 2006 p685-720"/><ref name="Adelaar 2014">{{Cite journal|last1=Adelaar|first1=Alexander|last2=Ritsuko|first2=Kikusawa|date=23 December 2014|title=Malagasy Personal Pronouns: A Lexical History|journal=Oceanic Linguistics|volume=53|issue=2|pages=480–416|doi=10.1353/ol.2014.0020|issn=1527-9421|url=http://minerva-access.unimelb.edu.au/bitstream/11343/122877/1/Adelaar.2014%20%26%20Kikusawa.pdf|hdl=11343/122877|s2cid=145541706|hdl-access=free}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
!Sentence
|Namonjy 
|azy 
|aho
|-
!Gloss
|help.out
|him
|I
|-
!Parts
|Verb
|Object
|Subject
|-
!Translation
| colspan="3" |I helped him out 
|}

This sentence shows the consistency of VOS in Malagasy with [[transitive verb]]s:<ref name="Chung 2006 p685-720"/>
{| class="wikitable"
!Sentence
|Manolotra
|ny
|vary
|ny
|vahiny
|aho
|-
!Gloss
|offer.AT
|the
|rice
|the
|guests
|I
|-
!Parts
|Verb
|
|([[Indirect object|Indirect]]) Object
|
|([[Direct object|Direct]]) Object
|Subject
|-
!Translation
| colspan="6" |'I offered the rice to the guests.'
|}
The [[wh-movement|extraction pattern]] in Malagasy, in which subjects can be [[Relative clause|relativized]], but non-subjects within the VP lead to [[grammaticality|ungrammaticality]], is consistent with a VP-raising hypothesis.<ref name="Chung 2006 p685-720" /> This sentence shows the possibility of relativizing surface subjects:
{| class="wikitable"
!Sentence
|ny
|zazavavy
|[<sub>CP</sub> izay
|[<sub>VP</sub> manasa
|ny
|lamba]
|< ___ > ]
|-
!Gloss
|the
|girl
|C
|wash.AT
|the
|clothes
|
|-
!Parts
| colspan="2" |Subject
|
|Verb
| colspan="2" |Object
|<Subject>
|-
!Translation
| colspan="7" |'the girl that washed the clothes …'
|}
This sentence shows how extraction from within the VP is ungrammatical (*):
{| class="wikitable"
!Sentence
|*ny
|lamba
|[<sub>CP</sub> izay
|[<sub>VP</sub> manasa
|< ___ > ]
|ny
|zazavavy ]
|-
!Gloss
|the
|clothes
|C
|wash.AT
|
|the
|girl
|-
!Parts
| colspan="2" |Object
|
|Verb
|<Object>
| colspan="2" |Subject
|-
!Translation
| colspan="7" |Intended: 'the clothes that the girl washed …'
|}
The empty spaces (___) are the extraction sites and the square brackets indicate the VP phrase.

===Mandarin (special cases)===
Unlike English, which places head nouns before relative clauses, [[Mandarin Chinese|Mandarin]] places head nouns after relative clauses. As a result, subject-gapped relative clauses in Mandarin, just like in Cantonese, result in a [[Verb–subject–object|VOS]] order.

==== Example of subject-gapped relative clauses in Mandarin:<ref name=":0" /> ====
{| class="wikitable"
!Sentence
|親
|公雞
|的
|老鼠
|-
!Romanization
|qīn
|gōng jī
|de
|lǎo shǔ
|-
!Gloss
|kiss
|chicken
|[[Chinese particles|Chinese particle]]
|mouse
|-
!Parts
|Verb
|Object
|
|Subject
|-
!Head Noun and RC Gap
| colspan="2" |Relative Clause
|
|Head Noun
|-
!Translation
| colspan="4" |The mouse that kisses the chicken.
|}

It is considered extremely rare for a SVO language to adopt a prenominal RC structure. In a sample of 756 languages, only 5 languages have that VOS combination, less than 0.01%, one being Mandarin.<ref name=":3" />

===Modern Greek (special cases)===
[[Greek language|Greek]] has a relatively flexible word order.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Georgiafentis|first1=Michalis|last2=Lascaratou|first2=Chryssoula|date=2013|title=Word Order Flexibility and Adjacency Preferences: Competing Forces and Tension in the Greek VP|journal=Journal of Greek Linguistics|volume=13|issue=2|pages=181–202|doi=10.1163/15699846-13130202|issn=1566-5844|doi-access=free}}</ref> However, there is an ongoing discussion of how VOS is rendered. The table below shows an example of a VOS sentence in [[Modern Greek]]:<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|last1=Georgiafentis|first1=Michalis|last2=Sfakianaki|first2=Anna|date=2004|title=Syntax interacts with prosody|journal=Lingua|language=en|volume=114|issue=7|pages=935–961|doi=10.1016/S0024-3841(03)00099-8}}</ref>

{{fs interlinear|lang=el|indent=3
| έφαγε την τούρτα ο Γιάννης
| éfage tin toúrta o Giánnis
| ate-3SG the cake-ACC the John-NOM
| Verb {} Object {} Subject|style4=font-variant: small-caps;
| John ate the cake.}}

Georgiafentis and Sfakianaki provide claims of four different researchers, who focus on how prosody affects the generated VOS in Greek:<ref name=":1" />

Alexiadou suggests that the prominent constituent in VOS is the DP-subject.<ref name=":1" /> The DP-object moves over the DP-subject into a specifier position of VoiceP to derive the VOS order. The object movement to the specifier position is a result of [[scrambling (linguistics)|scrambled objects]] and [[Adverb#Formation and comparison|manner adverbs]] wanting to both move to VoiceP.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Merchant|first=Jason|date=2013|title=Voice and Ellipsis|journal=Linguistic Inquiry|language=en|volume=44|issue=1|pages=77–108|doi=10.1162/LING_a_00120|s2cid=57571826|issn=0024-3892}}</ref> Thus, the main stress is given to the DP-subject.

Philippakki-Warburton claims there are two intonation patterns that cause VOS in Greek:<ref name=":1" />

# The prominent constituent is something other than the DP-subject, like the verb or the DP-object. Therefore, the DP-subject is unstressed.
# VOS is produced by p-movement ([[prosody (linguistics)|prosodic]] movement),<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal|last=TOKIZAKI|first=HISAO|date=2000|title=Prominence, Phrasing, and Movement (M. L. Zubizarreta, Prosody, Focus, and Word Order)|journal=English Linguistics|volume=17|issue=2|pages=459–487|doi=10.9793/elsj1984.17.459|issn=0918-3701|doi-access=free}}</ref> from the DP-subject being emphatically stressed or from it being stressed because of Chomsky and Halle's Nuclear Stress Rule (NSR)<ref>{{Cite journal|last=McCawley|first=James D.|date=1974|title=The Sound Pattern of English. Noam A. Chomsky , Morris Halle|journal=International Journal of American Linguistics|volume=40|issue=1|pages=50–88|doi=10.1086/465290|issn=0020-7071}}</ref>

Haidou proposes that VOS has two possible intonations: whether a pause or not precedes the DP-subject will change the focus of the sentence. If there is a preceding pause (indicated with a comma intonation), the DP-subject does not possess the main focus. The focus is then instead on the object, as demonstrated in the table below.<ref name=":1" />

{{fs interlinear|lang=el|indent=3
| έφαγε τη σούπα, ο Γιάννης
| éfage ti soúpa, o Giánnis
| ate-3SG the soup-ACC the Janis-NOM
| Verb {} Object {} Subject|style4= font-variant: small-caps;
| Ate the soup, John.}}

Georgiafentis argues that subject focusing in VOS is derived from three intonational situations:

# The main stress is acquired by a constituent other than the DP-subject (same discussion as Philippaki-Warbuton)
# The DP-subject acquires main stress through NSR
# The DP-subject is [[focus (linguistics)|contrastively focused]]

Here is an example of a Greek contrastively-focused DP-subject (capitalized words indicate a contrastive focus):<ref name=":1" />

{{fs interlinear|lang=el|indent=3
| έφαγε την τούρτα ο Γιάννης (όχι ο Θανάσης)
| éfage tin toúrta o Giánnis (óchi o Thanásis)
| ate-3SG the cake-ACC the John-NOM (not the Thanasis-NOM)
| Verb {} Object {} Subject {} {} {}|style4= font-variant: small-caps;
| John ate the cake (not Thanasis).}}

Georgiafentis states that both the second and the third situation above are derived from p-movement.<ref name=":2" />

=== Seediq ===
[[Seediq language|Seediq]], an [[Atayalic languages|Atayalic language]] with a fixed VOS order, is spoken by [[Taiwanese indigenous peoples|Taiwanese indigenous people]] in northern [[Taiwan]] and the [[Taroko people|Taroko]]. Only the subject, which is always fixed in its clause-final position, may correspond to an argument with an [[absolutive case]]. No other clause-internal constituents may have an absolutive DP in Seediq.<ref name=":5" />

{{interlinear|indent=3
| Wada big-un hulama na Ape ka laqi
| PAST give-TR treat ERG Ape ABS child
| {} Verb {} {} Object {} Subject|style3= font-variant: small-caps;
| Ape gave the child a treat}}

=== Twana ===
Twana, a Coast Salishan language, has VOS as its basic word order, which distinguishes subject noun phrases from object noun phrases in sentences with active transitive verbs. Twana avoids using VSO, at least according to the evidence that was provided by the last proficient speaker.<ref name=":7" />

{{interlinear |lang=twa |indent=3
|bikʷɪdkʷə᷄dad tibə᷄dəs təstibˀa᷄t
|{he is grabbing} the-son-his the-man
|V-transitive Object Subject|style3= font-variant: small-caps;
|‘The man is grabbing his son’
}}

=== Tzotzil ===
[[Tzotzil language|Tzotzil]], like almost all other [[Mayan languages]] except [[Ch’orti’ language|Ch'orti']], is a [[verb-initial word order]] language and is predominantly VOS but has been shown to permit SVO readily.<ref name="England 1991">{{cite journal|first=N. C. |last=England |year=1991|title=Changes in Basic Word Order in Mayan Languages|journal= International Journal of American Linguistics|volume=57 |issue=4|pages=446–486 |doi=10.1086/ijal.57.4.3519735|s2cid=146516836 }}</ref> In Tzotzil, the subject is not assumed to raise (in overt syntax) to the specifier of the [[clause|clausal head]], unlike [[Italian language|Italian]], which is a special case.<ref name="Chung 2006 p685-720">{{cite book|editor1-last=Chung|editor1-first=Sandra|editor2-last=Everaert|editor2-first=Rtin|editor3-link=Henk van Riemsdijk|editor3-last=van Riemsdijk|editor3-first=Henk |year=2006|chapter=Properties of VOS Languages|title=The Blackwell Companion to Syntax|pages=685–720|publisher=Blackwell Publishing|doi=10.1002/9780470996591.ch52|last1=Chung|first1=Sandra|isbn=9780470996591}}</ref> A sample Tzotzil sentence is in the table below. The "ʔ" represent a [[glottal stop]].<ref name="Aissen 1987">{{cite book|last=Aissen|first=J. L.|year=1987|title=Tzotzil Clause Structure|isbn=978-94-009-3741-3|publisher=Springer Netherlands|location=Dordrecht, Netherlands}}</ref>

{{interlinear|indent=3|glossing=no abbr
| ʔi- s- pet lok'el ʔantz ti t'ul -e
| cp A3 carry away woman the rabbit cl
| {} {} Verb {} Object {} Subject {}|style3= font-variant: small-caps;
| The rabbit carried away the woman}}

VP-raising, as expressed in the previous section, cannot account for Tzotzil's normal word order. If VP-raising had occurred, any further movement of direct objects or [[prepositional phrases]] would have been made prevented.<ref name="Chung 2006 p685-720" /> Aissen, however, showed that Tzotzil allows direct objects to be extracted since [[wh-movement]] occurs:<ref name="Aissen 1996">{{cite journal|last=Aissen|first=J. |year=1996|title=Pied-piping, abstract agreement, and functional projections in Tzotzil| journal=Natural Language & Linguistic Theory|volume=14|issue=3|pages=447–491|doi=10.1007/bf00133596|s2cid=170467260}}</ref>

{{interlinear|indent=3|glossing=no abbr
| Buch'u s- pas mantal ___?
| who? A3- do order {}
| Subjects {} Verb Objects {}|style3= font-variant: small-caps;
| Who's giving the orders?}}

Tzotzil also allows propositional phrases before the subject and all of those in verb phrases to undergo [[wh-movement]]. Also, an [[interrogative]] phrase of a [[transitive verb]] must entirely be [[pied-piping|pied-piped]] to be grammatical.<ref name="Aissen 1996" />

{{interlinear|indent=3|glossing=no abbr
| [Buch'u ta s- na] av- ik'ta komel l- -a- -bolsa -e ___?
| who? P A3- house A2- leave Dir the- -A2- -bag- -cl {}
| Subject {} {} {} {} Verb {} {} {} Object {} {}|style3= font-variant: small-caps;
| In whose house did you leave your bag?}}

{{interlinear|indent=3|glossing=no abbr
| *Buch'u av- ik'ta komel a- -bolsa [ta s- na ___?]
| who? A2- leave Dir A2- bag P A3- house {}
| Subject {} Verb {} {} Object {} {} {} {}|style3= font-variant: small-caps;
| Whose house did you leave your bag? at}}

VOS clauses in Tzotzil cannot thus be derived by VP-raising. Chung proposes that languages without VP-raising may be assumed to have VOS, instead of SVO, as their basic word order.<ref name="Chung 2006 p685-720" />

== Generative analysis ==
===VP-raising===
There is ongoing debate in [[Generative grammar|generative linguistics]] as to how VOS [[clause]]s are derived, but there is significant evidence for verb-phrase-raising. Kayne's theory of [[antisymmetry]] suggests that VOS clauses are derived from SVO structure via the leftward movement of a VP [[constituent (linguistics)|constituent]] that contains a verb and object.<ref name="Chung 2006 p685-720" /> The [[principles and parameters]] theory sets VOS and SVO clause structures as [[syntax|syntactically]] identical but does not account for SVO being [[linguistic typology|typologically]] more common than VOS. According to the principles and parameters theory, the difference between SVO and VOS clauses is the direction in which parameters are set for projection of a [[Grammatical tense|T category]]'s [[specifier (linguistics)|specifier]]. When the parameter is to the right of [[Grammatical tense|T(ense)]]'s specifier, VOS is realized, and when it is to the left, SVO is realized.<ref name="Chung 2006 p685-720" />

The motivation for movement from SVO to VOS structure is still undetermined, as some languages show inconsistencies with SVO [[deep structure and surface structure|underlying structure]] and an absence of VP-raising (such as Chamorro and Tzotzil).<ref name="Chung 2006 p685-720"/> In verb-initial languages, the [[extended projection principle]] causes [[syntactic movement|overt specifier movement]] from the strong tense [T], verb [V], or predicate [Pred] features.<ref name="Chung 2006 p685-720"/>

Chung proposes a syntactic profile for verb-initial languages that are derived through VP-raising:<ref name="Chung 2006 p685-720"/>

# [[Coordination (linguistics)|VP coordination]] is allowed.
# The subject and other constituents outside the verb phrase can be extracted.
# The subject has [[Logical Form (linguistics)|narrow scope]] over [[sentence (linguistics)|sentential]] elements.

VOS can be derived from SVO, but [[Maria Polinsky]] suggests that [[verb-initial word order|verb-initial languages]] (V1 languages) display other properties that correlate with verb-initiality and are crucial to analysis of V1 order.<ref name=":Polinsky">{{cite journal|last1 = Clemens|first1 = Lauren Eby|last2 = Polinsky|first2 = Maria|title = Verb-initial word orders (primarily in Austronesian and Mayan languages)|journal = The Blackwell Companion to Syntax|date = 2015|url = http://scholar.harvard.edu/files/mpolinsky/files/v1_syncom.pdf}}</ref>

==== Subject-only restriction ====
The subject-only restriction (SOR) exists in most, if not all, Austronesian languages and follows from the VP-raising account of VOS.<ref name=":6"/>

In a given clause, only one argument such as the external arguments, the subjects, or the sentence's most prominent argument, is attainable for "extraction" to undergo movements, which includes A-bar movements like wh-movement, topicalization, and relativization.<ref>Beguš, G., In Preparation. The Origins of the Voice System and Subject-Only Restriction in Austronesian. pp. 30–31</ref> No other arguments, such as the internal arguments or VP adjuncts, may undergo such movement. Since SOR restricts any internal arguments and VP adjuncts from undergoing any movements, the VP-internal or low adjuncts are not qualified to behave as if they are stranded by VP-raising.<ref name=":6">{{Citation|last1=Clemens|first1=Lauren Eby|title=Verb-Initial Word Orders, Primarily in Austronesian and Mayan Languages|date=2017-11-24|work=The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Syntax, Second Edition|pages=1–50|publisher=John Wiley & Sons, Inc.|isbn=978-1-118-35873-3|last2=Polinsky|first2=Maria|doi=10.1002/9781118358733.wbsyncom056|s2cid=35746098 |url=http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:34406558|url-access=subscription}}</ref> As a result, VOS is retained in those languages.

Examples in [[Seediq language|Seediq]]:<ref name=":5">{{Citation|last=Aldridge|first=Edith|chapter=Directionality in word-order change in Austronesian languages|date=2010|pages=169–180|publisher=John Benjamins Publishing Company|isbn=978-90-272-5542-6|doi=10.1075/la.159.08ald|title=Continuity and Change in Grammar|volume=159|series=Linguistik Aktuell/Linguistics Today}}</ref>

VP-external constituents are the only accessible constituents when structures require movements (like relative clauses or topicalization). In other words, structures requiring movements may access constituents only if they are external to VP. Any movement regarding the VP-internal or adjuncts constituents fails to satisfy the subject-only restriction.<ref name=":6"/>
{| class="wikitable"
!Sentence
|M-n-ari
|inu
|patis
|Ape
|-
!Gloss
|buy
|where
|book
|Ape
|-
!Parts
|V
|
|O
|S
|-
!Translation
| colspan="4" |Where did Ape buy books?
|}
{| class="wikitable"
!Sentence
|*Inu
|m-n-ari
|patis
|Ape
|-
!Gloss
|where
|buy
|book
|Ape
|-
!Parts
|
|V
|O
|S
|-
!Translation
| colspan="4" |*Where did Ape buy books?
|}

Since movements with respect to internal arguments and VP adjuncts are not allowed in Seediq, and only VP-external movement is possible (unless the predicate undergo a change in voice morphology),<ref name=":6"/> only VOS is grammatical.

=== VP-remnant raising ===
==== Remnant raising and clause-final adjuncts ====
VP-raising accounts for [[Toba Batak language|Toba Batak]] are proposed by Cole and Herman. However, prior to the VP moving to its final position, they argue that adverbs and prepositions move out of the VP. If there are adjuncts present, VP-raising is considered as a type of remnant movement.<ref name=":6"/>

In contrast to Cole and Herman's prediction, Massam's proposal states that indirect objects and obliques that are generated higher than the VP have grammatical [[doi:10.1002/9780470996591.ch66|subextraction]] unless they move from the VP.

==== Remnant raising and VSO ====
If the object evacuates the VP before the VP moves into a higher position within the clause, it derives VSO order instead, of VOS. Massam looks at the difference between VP-raising accounts of VOS and VSO by investigating the [[Niuean language]].<ref name=":6" /> Massam argues that whether a NP object or a DP is selected by the verb determines if there is VP or VP-remnant raising. To get the structure of a VOS clause, an NP object is selected by the verb; the selected NP does not need case and so it will stay in the VP. Consequently, the object is pseudo-incorporated into the verb in the VOS clause. If a DP object is selected by the verb, VP-remnant movement occurs and creates VSO.

Both possibilities are shown in the tables below:<ref name=":6" />

===== Niuean VSO =====
{| class="wikitable"
!Sentence
|Kua
|kai
|e
|mautolu
|e
|ika
|mo
|e
|talo
|he
|mogonei
|-
!Gloss
|PERF
|eat
|ERG
|1PL.EX
|ABS
|fish
|COMPTV
|ABS
|taro
|LOC
|now
|-
!Parts
|
|Verb
|
|Subject
|
| colspan="4" |Object
|
|
|-
!Translation
| colspan="11" |We are eating fish and taro right now.
|}

===== Niuean VOS =====
{| class="wikitable"
!Sentence
|Kua
|kai
|ika
|mo
|e
|talo
|a
|mautolu
|he
|mogonei
|-
!Gloss
|PERF
|eat
|fish
|COMOPTV
|ABS
|taro
|ABS
|1PL.EX
|LOC
|now
|-
!Parts
|
|Verb
| colspan="4" |Object
|
|Subject
|
|
|-
!Translation
| colspan="10" |We are eating fish and taro right now.
|}

==== VP-raising and VSO/VOS alternations ====
For languages whose alternations between VOS and VSO are more difficult to characterize, other factors help distinguish the word order. Unlike Niuean, whose objects are case-marked in VSO, not in VOS, Kroeger proposes that factors such as thematic role and grammatical functions help characterize word order such as in [[Tagalog language|Tagalog]].<ref name=":6" /> In reference to the verb, the argument with the highest thematic role should be the closest to it, and the highest grammatical function should be the farthest. For specifically-active voice clauses, the competition between the two situations helps to explain the variation of word order in Tagalog. Since there is no conflict in non-active clauses, there is less variation in word order.

=== Flexible linearization (FL) approach ===
Bury proposed that any phrase containing a subject and a constituent with a verb and an object can be linearized with the subject to the left or to the right of the verb-object constituent.<ref name="Bury 2010" /> That is called the flexible linearization (FL) approach, and with the combination of verb movement, it can account for most, if not all, VOS and VSO derivations. Under the assumption, word orders in languages surface as VOS because they may have been linearized with the subject, in this case to the right of the verb-object constituent.

FL approach differs from most other analyses such as by not assuming whether VOS or VSO has a more basic and rigid structure in the language and that the other one is derived from a special rule.<ref name="Bury 2010" /> FL approach emphasizes less on syntax and word orders and assumes that both VOS and VSO can occur underlyingly in different languages. Thus, alternation between VOS and VSO is expected in verb-initial languages unless the position of the subject or the object has some grammatical role:<ref name="Bury 2010" />

Structure (not linearized): [ H [S [V O]] ] (where H stands for a head) can be pronounced as H + V S O conventionally.<ref name="Bury 2010" />

Under the FL approach however, that structure can be pronounced as H + V O S,<ref name="Bury 2010" /> as the phrase is said to be linearized with the subject to the right of the verb-object constituent. Consequently, we see a VOS order.

Both pronunciations are linearizations of the same structure, but unless there are independent constraints on word order in a given language, both VSO and VOS orders are attainable in the same language.<ref name="Bury 2010" />

=== Scrambling VSO ===
[[Scrambling (linguistics)|Scrambling]] in languages after [[Verb–subject–object|VSO]] allows the derivation of VOS. A primary example is from [[Tongan language|Tongan]]:<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Otsuka|first=Yuko|date=Spring 2003|title=VOS in Tongan: Passive or Scrambling?|journal=Cornell Working Papers in Linguistics|volume=19|pages=122–136}}</ref>

Tongan VSO
{| class="wikitable"
!Sentence
|Na’e
|tamate’i
|‘e
|Tēvita
|‘a
|Kōlaiate.
|-
!Gloss
|PST
|kill.TR
|ERG
|David
|ABS
|Goliath
|-
!Parts
| colspan="2" |V-transitive
| colspan="2" |Subject
| colspan="2" |Object
|-
!Translation
| colspan="6" |"David killed Goliath."
|}
Tongan VOS
{| class="wikitable"
!Sentence
|Na'e
|tamate’i
|'a
|Kōlaiate
|‘e
|Tēvita
|-
!Gloss
|PST
|kill.TR
|ABS
|Goliath
|ERG
|David
|-
!Parts
| colspan="2" |V-transitive
| colspan="2" |Object
| colspan="2" |Subject
|-
!Translation
| colspan="6" |‘David killed Goliath.’
|}
Both sentences above in translation share the same meaning. However, the possibility of scrambling allows Tongan to scramble from its initial VSO state to a VOS form.<ref>C.M. Churchward (1953). ''Tongan Grammar''. Vava'u Press, Tonga. p.67.</ref>

=== Right-branching ===
Right-branching occurs if the initial language has a subject that acts as a right-branching specifier. That means that the specifier becomes the sister of the V' located to the right. One of the forms of right-branching in VOS is parameterized right-branching, which moves the subject out of the right-branching VP domain and into a left-branching position. That is found in [[Tzʼutujil language|Tz'utujil]] in which right-branching occurs when the specifier begins with a lexical category, but left-branching occurs when the specifier begins with a functional category.<ref name=":6"/> These two tables below these examples:

{{interlinear|indent=3
|top= '''VOS right branching:'''
|X-∅-kee-tij tzyaq ch’ooyaa’.
|COM-3SG.ABS-3PL.ERG-eat clothes rats
|Verb Object Subject|style3= font-variant: small-caps;
|Rats ate the clothes}}

In that sentence, the normal word order is VOS. In a tree however, "rats," would appear as the sister to the V'. The V' would then branch out into the VP (eat) and the object (clothes). That is what would be referred to as right+branching.

{{interlinear|indent=3
|top= '''VOS left branching (SVO)'''
|Ja ch’ooyaa’. X-∅-kee-tij tzyaq
|DEF rats COM-3SG.ABS-3PL.ERG-eat clothes
|{} Subject Verb Object|style3= font-variant: small-caps;
|The rats ate clothes}}

In that sentence, word order changes from VOS to SVO from left-branching to right-branching. As previously mentioned, one of the rules of Tz'utujil is if the specifier begins with a functional category, it is left branched. That means that the specifier will be placed as the sister to the left of V', and V' will branch as normally.

=== p-movement ===
Zubizarreta (1998)&nbsp;proposes p-movement as an analysis of certain movement operations in Spanish. Firstly, the VOS order is not a basic order but is instead derived from VSO or SVO by preposing the object. VOS order is allowed only in contexts that indicate that the subject is focused. That movement is triggered when the subject needs to be focused and so it is not a feature driven movement but instead a prosodically-motivated movement, hence the name p-movement.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Prosody, focus, and word order|last=Zubizarreta, Maria Luisa.|date=1998|publisher=MIT Press|isbn=0-262-24041-6|location=Cambridge, Mass.|oclc=38566186}}</ref>

p-movement is also a strictly-local process. Zubizaretta claims that the stress on the subject is neutral. It is the Nuclear Stress Rule (NSR), rather than her proposed additional focal stress rule, that assigns stress to the subject in VOS structures. The NSR allows for focus projection and so it is expected that wide focal interpretations are available in VOS, just like in VSO and in SVO.

Thus, it can be understood that fronting the object is motivated by allowing the subject to be at the place that nuclear stress falls.

== See also ==

*[[Subject–object–verb]]
*[[Subject–verb–object]]
*[[Object–subject–verb]]
*[[Object–verb–subject]]
*[[Verb–subject–object]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Verb-object-subject}}
[[Category:Verb–object–subject languages| ]]
[[Category:Word order]]