Swap distance minimization shapes the order of subject, object and verb in languages of the world
Provides a unifying principle for word order variation in linguistics, addressing limitations of previous models.
The study shows that swap distance minimization explains word order variation across languages, including those with non-SOV/SVO or no dominant order, based on cross-linguistic data.
Languages of the world vary concerning the order of subject, object and verb. The most frequent dominant orders are SOV and SVO, and researchers have tailored models to this fact. However, there are still languages whose dominant order does not conform to these expectations or even lack a dominant order. Here we show that across linguistic families and macroareas, word order variation within languages is shaped by the principle of swap distance minimization even when the dominant order is not SOV/SVO and even when a dominant order is lacking.