Re: V2

yl-ruil wrote:

> OK, humble pie time. I've always considered myself quite
> a competent (if ameteur) linguist, especially in the field
> of Germanic languages, but I haven't hear of V1 or V2
> - at least not that I am aware of. Could I have an
> explanation, please and is is known by any other names.
V1 and V2 were the secret wapons of a German...
</bad joke>

V2 languages are languages that have the verb in the second position.  This
means that the usual stucture is SVO (or OVS), as English, but unlike
English, when another part of the struct is fronted, the verb remainds in
the second position and the subject falls in the thrird.
i.e.
  jag läser tidningen idag
  S   V     O         C

  idag läser jag tidningen
  C    V     S    O

  tidningen läser jag idag
  O         V     S   C

The same sample in Eglish:

  I read the newspaper today
  S V        O         C

  today I read the newspaper
  C     S V        O

  the newspaper I read today
      O         S V    C

while in English the SV order is strcit, in Swedish, and most Germanic
languages, the second position of the verb is strict.  When auxiliaries are
used, the first auxiliary is in the second position:
  jag har läst tidningen redan idag
  redan idag har jag läst tidningen
  tidningen har jag läst redan idag
even
  läst har jag tidiningen redan idag

I could generalize that V1 languages are thos with verb in the first place:
VSO and VOS... but don quote me for that.
-- Carlos Th