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In linguistic typology, the object–subject–verb (OSV) or object–agent–verb (OAV) word order is a structure where the object of a sentence precedes both the subject and the verb. Although this word order is rarely found as the default in most languages, it does occur as the unmarked or neutral order in a few Amazonian languages, including Xavante and Apurinã. In many other languages, OSV can be used in marked sentences to convey emphasis or focus, often as a stylistic device rather than a normative structure. OSV constructions appear in languages as diverse as Chinese, Finnish, and British Sign Language, typically to emphasize or topicalize the object. Examples of OSV structures can also be found in certain contexts within English, Hebrew, and other languages through the use of syntactic inversion for emphasis or rhetorical effect. The OSV order is also culturally recognizable through its use by the character Yoda in Star Wars.
 | This article possibly contains original research. Article is shot through and through with unsourced assertions, and unattested, invented examples. (July 2019) |
An example of this word order in English would be "Oranges Sam ate" (meaning, Sam ate oranges).
Natural languages
OSV is rarely used in unmarked sentences, which use 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, Warao, Kayabí and Nadëb.[1] Here is an example from Apurinã:[1]
anana
pineapple
nota
I
apa
fetch
I fetch a pineapple
British Sign Language (BSL) normally uses topic–comment structure, but its default word order when topic–comment structure is not used is OSV.
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Various languages allow OSV word order but only in marked sentences, which emphasise part or all of the sentence.
Chinese
Passive constructions in Chinese follow an OSV (OAV) pattern through the use of the particle 被:
这个
Zhège
this
橘子
júzi
orange
被
bèi
by
我
wǒ
me
吃
chī
eat
掉
diào
了
le
PFV
This orange was eaten by me.
 | This article may need to be rewritten to comply with Wikipedia's quality standards. (September 2022) |
English
In English, object-subject-verb order is atypical but can be used for contrastive focus, as in: That car we bought at least five years ago. The other one we only bought last year.[2]
Finnish
Finnish has a remarkably lax word order[3] and so emphasis on the object is often marked simply by putting it first in the sentence.[4] The word by word translation in example (1) would be "you I love!" and expresses a contrast to maybe loving someone else.
(1)
Sinua
2SG.PTV
minä
1SG.NOM
rakastan!
1SG.love.PRS.IND
"I love you!"
This word order is totally natural and quite often used for emphasis. Example (2) expresses the contrast of refusing to eat something else (like something more healthy).
(2)
Suklaata
chocolate.PTV
se
3.SG
kyllä
INT
suostuu
3SG.consent.PRS.IND
syömään
eat.ILL
"He instead consents to eating chocolate."
Hebrew
In Modern Hebrew, OSV is often used instead of the normal SVO to emphasise the object. אני אוהב אותה would mean "I love her", but "אותה אני אוהב" would mean "It is she whom I love".[5] Possibly an influence of Germanic (via Yiddish), as Jewish English uses a similar construction ("You, I like, kid") much more than many other varieties of English and often with the "it is" left implicit.
Hungarian
In Hungarian, OSV emphasises the subject:
A szócikket én szerkesztettem = The article/I/edited (It was I, not somebody else, who edited the article).
Korean and Japanese
Korean and Japanese have SOV by default, but since they are topic-prominent languages, they often seem to be OSV when the object is topicalized. Here is an example in Korean:
그 사과는 제가 먹었어요.
그
geu
that
사과–는
sagwa-neun
apple-TOP
Object
제–가
je-ga
I.POL-NOM
Subject
먹–었–어–요
meog-eoss-eo-yo
eat-PST-DEC-POL
Verb
As for the apple, I ate it. (or) The apple, I ate.
An almost identical syntax is possible in Japanese:
そのりんごは私が食べました。
その
sono
that
りんご゠は
ringo-wa
apple-TOP
Object
私゠が
watashi-ga
I.POL-NOM
Subject
As for the apple, I ate it. (or) The apple, I ate.
Malayalam
OSV is one of the permissible word orders in Malayalam, the other being SOV.
Portuguese
OSV is possible in Portuguese to emphasize the object.
De maçã eu não gosto
De
of
maçã
apple
Object
eu
I
Subject
não
NEG
gosto
like-1SG
Verb
I do not like apple
Turkish
OSV is used in Turkish to emphasize the subject:
Yemeği ben pişirdim.
yemeğ-i
meal-ACC
ben
I
pişir-di-m
cook-PST-1SG
It was I, not somebody else, who cooked the meal.
- Yoda, a popular Star Wars character who speaks in the object–subject–verb word order
- Yoda conditions - a style of writing conditionals in computer programming languages
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