Changes in Basic Word Order in Mayan Languages

Abstract

1. Basic word order. As Brody (1984) amply demonstrates, the definition of basic word order is quite problematic. Different criteria are used by different linguists, languages differ greatly in the ease with which a basic word order can be established, and there has been relatively little discussion of the assumptions that underlie the idea of basic word order. Brody lists criteria that have been suggested for establishing basic word order under the general categories of simplicity, least markedness, reciprocally affecting verb, disambiguation, full nouns for nominal constituents, and frequency. She then shows that while all possible orders exist in Tojolab'al, none fulfills all of the criteria that have been suggested for basic word order. It seems necessary to specify the assumptions I hold about basic word order before discussing further the situation in Mayan. The "major constituents" that are usually considered for the establishment of basic word order are the verb and its subject and object, used here in a standard or traditional sense. These are the arguments that are usually in a direct relationship to a transitive verb. They are also the