Comments on: Scandinavians’ Little Linguistic Hat-Trick /scandinavians-little-linguistic-hat-trick/ All Things Norway, In English Sat, 28 Dec 2019 06:19:08 +0000 hourly 1 By: Lee Carr /scandinavians-little-linguistic-hat-trick/#comment-723695 Sat, 28 Dec 2019 06:19:08 +0000 /?p=39641#comment-723695 This phenomenon is inherent in many Australian Aboriginal Languages. Though many Languages have rules which govern word order, Aboriginal Languages generally have a subject/object/verb word order as opposed to the English subject/verb/object word order, many operate as ‘free order’ languages, where it is usual to put the most important piece of information first and the word order follows in diminishing order of importance.

The following sentence can be written six different ways by changing the word order which puts the focus on my toe, the rock or having kicked against the rock with my toe. Two examples only are given.

(e.g. burrami-dhi walang birganyba-yi [toe-my rock kick against-did] with emphasis on my toe, less so on the rock or that I kicked it.)
Sugests that I have really hurt my toe.

Walang-ga burrami-dhi birganyba-yi [rock-on toe-my kick against-did] emphasis on the rock, less on my toe or kicking it.
Suggests either I mistakenly kicked the rock or that the rock had caused a problem before.

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