SOV, SVO, and VSO Languages

When studying languages, we can only speak in generalities or in terms of patterns, not strict rules per se. In this entry, I will briefly discuss what sentence structure/syntax one might expect when reading or studying ancient languages. My chief interest is biblical languages or the metalanguage by means of which one expresses or translates the grammar of biblical languages (e.g., English).

S = subject, V = verb, and O = object.

1. Latin-Most sentences in old Latin prose assume a SOV structure (e.g., "Puer canem videt," "Agricola taurum fugat" and "Cicero Corneliam ferit"). Like many languages, Latin's syntactical arrangement changed over time to become more SVO. However, as stated before, one is more likely to see the subject (Canis), object (hominem), and verb (mordet) in older Latin prose.

2. Ancient Greek-Sentences in ancient Greek mainly appear with SOV structure but Koine apparently gravitates toward SVO. See Ann Taylor, "The Change from SOV to SVO in Ancient Greek," pages 1-37; compare Iliad 1.254 and Herodotus 3.27.1.

3. English-Sentences in English tend to follow a SVO structure (e.g., "The cat is sitting on the mat" or "The farmer tills the ground"). Word order is more important in English than in Latin due to the case endings in Latin.

4. Classical Hebrew-This Semitic language normally or mainly has VSO structure. See Genesis 1:1: בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱלֹהִ֑ים אֵ֥ת הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֵ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ׃.