[tied] Re: Got to thinkin' about word order

The prefered word order in finnish is svo. If the verb is
intransitive, and the subject is indefinite, vs is the most common
word order - this is perhaps due to Scandinavian influence. Auto
tulee - the car is coming. Tulee auto - there is comming a car.

It is difficult to decide what is due to scandinavian influence, or
what is inherited FU in the finnish word order. There are few word
orders in finnish, that do not work well is scandinavian, exept
perhaps sov that is possible in finnish, but sounds very pecular, or
very archaic in a Scandinavian language.

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, CeiSerith@... wrote:
> In a message dated 5/1/2003 11:51:25 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
> glengordon01@... writes:
>
>
> > Even so, Finnish as
> > well as all languages on the planet have more common, "preferred"
> > word orders
>
> Having a preferred word order when you don't need one gives
highly
> inflected languages so much of their power, since changing the
order of a
> sentence from it changes emphasis. That is one thing that English
lacks
> sorely.
>
> David Fickett-Wilbar