Re: V2 languages

On Fri, 28 May 1999, Sally Caves wrote:

> Do V2 languages regularly front the object like that?
> In other words, OVS?
>
>         Cel il verinyn elry atwa
>         "In the park did I walk"
>         In the park PAST I walk.
>
> Is Teonaht functioning like a V2 language when it does that?
> Of course it doesn't consistently keep to this pattern.
> And of course the first element is a tense particle, which
> you could consider part of the verb if you stretched it.
First of all, "in the park" is not really an object.  It's
a prepositional phrase modifier.  Secondly, ANYTHING can
appear in front of the verb in a V2 language, so long as
it consists of a single constituent.  Consider German,
a classic V2 language.  'Normal' word order in German main
clauses is S-V-O-X (Subject-Verb-Object-Everything Else):

        [John] GAVE [the book] [to Alice] [yesterday afternoon]

However, it's also possible to stick other things besides the
subject in front of the verb, as long as you limit yourself to
one constituent only:

        [the book] GAVE [John] [to Alice] [yesterday afternoon]
        [to Alice] GAVE [John] [the book] [yesterday afternoon]
        [yesterday afternoon] GAVE [John] [the book] [to Alice]

In other words, if the sentence has a subject (S), a verb (V),
an object (O), and two other constituents (X and Y), then the
following are all possible orders:

        S-V-O-X-Y
        O-V-S-X-Y
        X-V-S-O-Y
        Y-V-S-O-X

The fronted constituent goes first, then the verb, then all of
the non-fronted constituents (in the order S-O-X-Y).

I'm abstracting away from certain complications, but that's
the basic story...

The order in Teonaht appears to be:

        X-Tense-S-V-Y

where S = the subject, Tense = the separable tense prefix, V =
the main verb, X = some class of elements the nature of which
eludes me (although it definitely includes direct objects), and
Y = everything else.  If we regard the tense prefix as a sort
of "pre-verb", and (crucially) if X can be no more than one
constituent, then Teonaht would count as a V2 language - albeit
a funny kind of V2 language, where certain classes of constituents
(e.g. subjects) are barred from occupying the preverbal position.

Matt.