Page 547 - A GRAMMAR OF BHOJPURI _ PhD Dissertation 2020 TU

(a) SOV is a common neutral word-order in other Indo-Aryan languages,
especially the close neighbours of Bhojpuri such as Chitoniya Tharu, Maithili
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and Awadhi with Hindi (Koul 2008:216) and Nepali (Upadhyay 2010:88)
including some Tibeto-Burman languages like Chapang (Caughley, 1982),
Newar (Malla, 1985), Gurung (Glover, 1974), Dolkha Newar (Genetti, 2007),

Kham (Watters, 2001), Khwopa Newar (Regmi, 2012), Bhujel (Regmi, 2012)
and Kaike (Regmi, 2013) and Dhimal (Khatiwada 2016).

(b) The native speakers have a strong feeling that SOV is the basic constituent
order in Bhojpuri. Moreover, it is the most frequent, least marked and

pragmatically neutral (Whaley, 1997:106).
The clauses in (15b-f) show the permutation of the constituents in the simple

transitive clause. However, the change in order generally triggers a change in the
meaning of the permutated elements from its stipulated place, already exemplified.
Moreover, Table 14.7 shows the permutation of the constituents and its semantic and

pragmatic effects:
Table 14.7: Permutations of the constituents of the clauses

Permutations of the Functional Pragmatic effects
constituents elements

pʌŋwɑɦɑ ɡɑcʰ pɑŋ-e-lɑ SOV 'A trimmer trims a tree.'
pʌŋwɑɦɑ pɑŋ-e-lɑ ɡɑcʰ SVO As for a trimmer, he certainly trims a

tree.
ɡɑcʰ pɑŋ-e-lɑ pʌŋwɑɦɑ OVS As for a tree, a trimmer trims it, he does

not do anything else.
ɡɑcʰ pʌŋwɑɦɑ pɑŋ-e-lɑ OSV As for tree, he is a trimmer, who trims it.

pɑŋ-e-lɑ ɡɑcʰ pʌŋwɑɦɑ VOS It is a tree, as for trimming, which a
trimmer does.
pɑŋ-e-lɑ pʌŋwɑɦɑ ɡɑcʰ VSO He is a trimmer, as for trimming a tree,

he does it.

Table 14.7 exhibits mainly two types of pragmatic effects of the permutation of
constituents in (15b-f). They are topicalization and focusing. The topicalized constituent
is placed clause initially. In (15b) subject is topicalized. In (15c) and (15d) verb has

been topicalized. Similarly in (15e) and (15f) object is topicalized. The focused

7. Please see Chapter 8.2.
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