Word Order Facts
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Languages of Eurasia

Macro-area, as the atlas divides the world

WALS places 659 languages in Eurasia, from 29 families. The largest are Indo-European (175), Sino-Tibetan (146) and Altaic (65).

Its most distinctive trait relative to the rest of the atlas: M-T Pronouns = M-T pronouns, paradigmatic, held by 21 of 49 languages coded here (43%) against 12% worldwide.

For basic word order, SOV leads with 195 of the 295 languages coded, ahead of SVO (76).

Every WALS language assigned to Eurasia.

Word order against the world

Languages of Eurasia with at least 30 coded features, compared with every language coded for each pairing.

dependent before the headboth or otherafter the head

  • Subject and verb
    Eurasiabefore: 139both or other: 11after: 590% · 3% of 155
    All WALSbefore: 1192both or other: 110after: 19480% · 13% of 1,496
  • Object and verb
    Eurasiabefore: 95both or other: 4after: 5661% · 36% of 155
    All WALSbefore: 712both or other: 101after: 70547% · 46% of 1,518
  • Noun phrase and adposition
    Eurasiabefore: 89both or other: 6after: 5061% · 34% of 145
    All WALSbefore: 577both or other: 96after: 51149% · 43% of 1,184
  • Genitive and noun
    Eurasiabefore: 103both or other: 7after: 3571% · 24% of 145
    All WALSbefore: 685both or other: 96after: 46855% · 37% of 1,249
  • Adjective and noun
    Eurasiabefore: 103both or other: 4after: 4767% · 31% of 154
    All WALSbefore: 373both or other: 115after: 87927% · 64% of 1,367
  • Demonstrative and noun
    Eurasiabefore: 107both or other: 8after: 2974% · 20% of 144
    All WALSbefore: 551both or other: 84after: 59045% · 48% of 1,225
  • Numeral and noun
    Eurasiabefore: 110both or other: 6after: 2578% · 18% of 141
    All WALSbefore: 479both or other: 67after: 60842% · 53% of 1,154
  • Relative clause and noun
    Eurasiabefore: 53both or other: 15after: 5443% · 44% of 122
    All WALSbefore: 141both or other: 104after: 57917% · 70% of 824
  • Degree word and adjective
    Eurasiabefore: 72both or other: 10after: 1673% · 16% of 98
    All WALSbefore: 227both or other: 62after: 19247% · 40% of 481

Traits far more frequent here

FeatureValueHereAll WALS
Uvular ConsonantsUvular continuants only7% (10 of 146)2%
Relativization on SubjectsRelative pronoun25% (11 of 44)7%
Front Rounded VowelsHigh and mid12% (18 of 146)4%
Coding of EvidentialityPart of the tense system17% (16 of 95)6%
Order of Object, Oblique, and VerbOblique-object-verb (XOV)27% (20 of 73)10%
Suppletion According to Tense and AspectSuppletion in both tense and aspect35% (22 of 62)12%
Case SyncretismCore and non-core31% (16 of 51)11%
Order of Relative Clause and NounRelative clause precedes noun (RelN)47% (101 of 213)17%
Relativization on ObliquesRelative Pronoun Strategy32% (12 of 38)12%

Families and languages