Typological Database of the Volga-Kama Finno-Ugric Languages

(Udmurt)

SOV & SVO & VSO & VOS & OVS

SOV: The basic word order of content questions is SOV.

SVO: The basic word order of content questions is SVO.

VSO: The basic word order of content questions is VSO.

VOS: The basic word order of content questions is VOS.

OVS: The basic word order of content questions is OVS.

(1)	kyźy	oľeg	tarakan-jos-yz	bydt-i-z?
	how	Oleg	cockroach‑PL‑ACC	kill‑PST‑3SG
	’How did Oleg kill the cockroaches?’ (Y. S.)

(2)	kyźy	oľeg	bydt-i-z	tarakan-jos-yz?
	how	Oleg	kill‑PST‑3SG	cockroach‑PL‑ACC
	’How did Oleg kill the cockroaches?’ (Y. S.)

(3)	kyźy	bydt-i-z	oľeg	tarakan-jos-yz?
	how	kill‑PST‑3SG	Oleg	cockroach‑PL‑ACC
	’How did Oleg kill the cockroaches?’ (Y. S.)

(4)	kyźy	bydt-i-z	tarakan-jos-yz	oľeg?
	how	kill‑PST‑3SG	cockroach‑PL‑ACC	Oleg
	’How did Oleg kill the cockroaches?’ (Y. S.)

(5)	kyźy	tarakan-jos-yz	bydt-i-z	oľeg?
	how	cockroach‑PL‑ACC	kill‑PST‑3SG	Oleg
	’How did Oleg kill the cockroaches?’ (Y. S.)

(6)	kyźy	tarakan-jos-yz	oľeg	bydt-i-z?
	how	cockroach‑PL‑ACC	Oleg	kill‑PST‑3SG
	’As for Oleg, how did he kill the cockroaches?’ (Y. S.)

(7)	oľeg	tarakan-jos-yz	kyźy	bydt-i-z?
	Oleg	cockroach‑PL‑ACC	how	kill‑PST‑3SG
	’How did Oleg kill the cockroaches?’ (Y. S.)

The neutral word order of content questions in Udmurt can be anything with the exception of OSV (6), see (1)–(5) (Y. S.). The OSV word order in (6) is a non-neutral order with focus on the subject (Y. S.) (6). The question word is most commonly in initial position (1)–(6), but it can also be in situ (7) or other positions, for more details see the parameter on the word order of interrogative phrases. In (7) the question word receives focus stress, therefore it cannot be considered a neutral sentence in spite of the SOV order (Y. S.).)

Author: Erika Asztalos

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