Word order variation in Sandawe

All six logically possible orders of subject, object and verb are grammatical in Sandawe, but SOV predominates. Other common orders, such as OSV and VS, can be shown to be associated with particular information structure interpretations. The six possible orders also interact in interesting ways with the language’s system of subject-marking morphemes. Word order within noun phrases is more fixed and can be minimally contrastive in a tonal genitive construction. Other interesting word order phenomena in Sandawe include the functional difference in where certain conjunctions are placed in the clause and the relative order of conjoined verbs. Note: This talk has not gone through a process of peer review, and findings should therefore be treated as preliminary and subject to change. Acknowledgement and citation: Eaton, Helen. 2021. Word order variation in Sandawe. Talk given at the Rift Valley Network Webinar Series. 10/02/2021.