Datapoint Zamboanga Chabacano/Order of subject, object, and verb

Without question, VSO is the most frequent order (also judged as "most common" by speakers). But other orders are also possible without being ungrammatical.

Analyzing a corpus of various text types (spoken discourse, stories, written texts), Aoto (2002: 85–87) finds that VSO represents 85% of the cases in spoken language. However, in written texts, especially news, 75% of the sentences show an SVO order.

Value 2 comment: In SVO order, the subject is focused (e.g. answer to a question).
Especially in written texts, word-order is beeing influenced by English. SVO also occurs frequently in sentences beginning with adverbs (adjuncts).

Value 4 comment: VOS is not ungrammatical (I have checked it by elicitation) but it does not occur in my own data.

Values

Verb-subject-object (VSO) Frequency: 63.6%

Example 46-1:
Ya-kurtá yo kunéste kárne kon kuchílyo.
Ya-kurtá
pfv-cut
yo
1sg
kunéste
obj.this
kárne
meat
kon
with
kuchílyo.
knife
I cut this meat with a knife.
Example 46-2:
Ya-pegá 'le konel péhro.
Ya-pegá
prf-hit
'le
he
konel
obj.the
péhro.
dog
He hit the dog.
Example 46-3:
Ta-tomá 'le múcho bíno.
Ta-tomá
ipfv-drink
'le
3sg
múcho
much
bíno.
rum
S/he is drinking a lot of rum.
Example 46-5:
Ta canta yo ‘te cancion.
Ta-kantá
ipfv-sing
yo
1sg
(és)te
this
kansyón.
song
I am singing this song.
Example 46-9:
Ya-prepará ei ómbre un baróto.
Ya-prepará
pfv-prepare
ei
art
ómbre
man
un
a
baróto.
baroto
The man prepared a small boat (baroto).
Example 46-10:
Ya-mirá el mga ómbre un póno de ságing.
Ya-mirá
pfv-see
el
art
mga
pl
ómbre
man
un
a
póno
tree
de
of
ságing.
banana
The men saw a banana tree.
Example 46-11:
Ya-mirá el táta su sitwasyón.
Ya-mirá
pfv-see
el
art
táta
father
su
his
sitwasyón.
situation
The father saw his situation.

Source: Forman 1972: 199

Confidence:
Very certain

Subject-verb-object (SVO) Frequency: 27.3%

Example 46-4:
Hendéq 'le ta-komé kárne?
Hendéq
neg
'le
3sg
ta-komé
eat
kárne?
meat
S/he doesn't eat meat?
Example 46-6:
Éle ya-matá pwérko gat alyá gránde.
Éle
s/he
ya-matá
prf-kill
pwérko
pig
gat
really
alyá
there
gránde.
big
S/he killed a really big pig there.
Example 46-74:
El mga ómbre ya-kargá tres maléta káda úno.
El
art
mga
pl
ómbre
man
ya-kargá
pfv-carry
tres
three
maléta
suitcase
káda
each
úno.
one
The men carried three suitcases each.
Confidence:
Very certain

Subject-object-verb (SOV) Frequency: 9.1%

Example 46-7:
Silá dos el ya-matá.
Silá
3pl
dos
two
el
3sg
ya-matá.
prf-kill
The two of them killed him.
Example 46-50:
El marído tyéne kósa ta-buská.
El
art
marído
husband
tyéne
exist
kósa
what
ta-buská.
ipfv-seek
The husband is looking for something.

Source: 2005

Confidence:
Very certain