Word Order in Malecite

Abstract

There are many languages in the world in which the word order is relatively free, for instance English, Russian, Finnish, Hungarian, etc. This relative "freedom" exists only in comparison with other languages. In other languages (German, Norwegian, Japanese, etc.) the sequence of words is more strictly regulated in almost all types of sentences.

Where does Malecite stand as far as word order is concerned? No linguistic literature has ever been published about this. Are there any rules of word order in this Indian language?

Some Malecite words are whole sentences. Very strict rules regulate the location of preverbs, prenouns, initials, medials, finals, suffixes, verbal enclitics, etc. But these are either parts of a single word, or their location is evident. The sequence of these elements is beyond the scope of my study on word order (except for the negative preverb, which is not necessarily placed directly before a verb.) Here I am studying where the subject and the object are placed, what the sequence of a conjunct and an indicative verb is if they occur in the same sentence; I am trying to find rules concerning the location of expressions of time and place, as well as different kinds of adverbs and other particles. Some of my observations allow the formulation of definite rules; others are only a matter of style.