Word Order Facts
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The Penutian languages

Language family · North America

WALS includes 24 Penutian languages in 9 branches; all of them are in North America.

Basic word order: no dominant order in 8 of the 12 members coded, then SOV in 1, SVO in 1, VSO in 1.

The most solid shared trait: all 13 members coded for Position of Case Affixes have case suffixes.

Of these, 5 have a full page on this site.

Every Penutian language in WALS, placed at the point the atlas gives for it.

Word order against the world

Members with at least 30 coded features, compared with every language WALS codes for each pairing.

dependent before the headboth or otherafter the head

  • Subject and verb
    Penutianbefore: 2both or other: 433% · none of 6
    All WALSbefore: 1192both or other: 110after: 19480% · 13% of 1,496
  • Object and verb
    Penutianbefore: 1both or other: 4after: 117% · 17% of 6
    All WALSbefore: 712both or other: 101after: 70547% · 46% of 1,518
  • Genitive and noun
    Penutianbefore: 4both or other: 180% · none of 5
    All WALSbefore: 685both or other: 96after: 46855% · 37% of 1,249

Shared and split traits

Where the family agrees most
FeatureMost frequent valueMembers
Position of Case AffixesCase suffixes13 of 13
Position of Interrogative Phrases in Content QuestionsInterrogative phrases obligatorily initial9 of 9
Hand and ArmDifferent12 of 13
Order of Demonstrative and NounDemonstrative word precedes noun (DemN)11 of 12
Order of Adjective and NounModifying adjective precedes noun (AdjN)8 of 9
Position of Tense-Aspect AffixesTense-aspect suffixes14 of 16
Coding of Nominal PluralityPlural suffix10 of 12
Polar QuestionsQuestion particle7 of 9
Where it is most divided
FeatureLargest groupMembers
Order of Subject and VerbBoth orders with neither order dominant6 of 16
Order of Object and VerbObject follows verb (VO)6 of 15
Expression of Pronominal SubjectsPronominal subjects are expressed by affixes on verbs4 of 9
Semantic Distinctions of EvidentialityOnly indirect evidentials5 of 9
Coding of EvidentialityVerbal affix or clitic5 of 9

Members

LanguageBranchBasic orderFeatures coded
Chinook (Lower)Chinookannot coded23
KlamathKlamath-Modocno dominant order51
Maidu (Northeast)MaiduanSOV63
Miwok (Southern Sierra)Miwokno dominant order93
MutsunCostanoannot coded24
Nez PerceSahaptianno dominant order92
WikchamniYokutsnot coded28
WintuWintuanno dominant order57
YawelmaniYokutsno dominant order30

Not listed: 15 further Penutian languages with fewer than 20 coded features.