Chinese Word Order and the Two Typological Exceptions: A Scalar Approach

Abstract

Conventional discussions on the VO/OV typology highlight two perceived "exceptions" in Chinese word order, particularly concerning the placement of relative clauses and adpositional phrases. In this paper, we argue that these seemingly exceptional Chinese word order patterns align with the broader linguistic tendencies of the language rather than being genuine deviations from typological norms. To demonstrate this, we analyze Chinese word orders across 15 parameters and attempt to rank them on a scalar continuum, comparing them to other languages. We assign a score of [-1] to the head-initial pattern parameter, [+1] to the head-final pattern parameter, and [0] for patterns accommodating both. Chinese is expected to exhibit a head-initial tendency; however, the data does not align with this expectation. Notably, it manifests a strong head-final tendency in NPs and VPs, achieving a [+6] score that aligns it closely with OV languages. Consequently, the placement of relative clauses and adpositional phrases in Chinese conforms to the typical pattern of OV languages, and thus, it need not be considered exceptional.