Non-SVO constructions in English: some pragmatic and functional considerations

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to consider those structures in English which do not exhibit a canonical order, that is an SVO constituent order (considered as the basic and dominant order for English) and the principles which can explain their existence in the language. In the first section we identify these non-SVO constructions in English and in the second we look at some of the pragmatic and functional factors underlying these structures, including notions like theme, verb-object bonding, animatedness, accessibility of the linguistic material and others. To conclude, we postulate that any exhaustive study of word order should present not only a functional and pragmatic dimension but also a more formal one, which would include typological and diachronic factors.