Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!homxb!mtuxo!mtune!codas!usfvax2!pdn!colin
From: colin@pdn.UUCP (Colin Kendall)
Newsgroups: comp.ai
Subject: Re: words order in English and Japanese
Message-ID: <2059@pdn.UUCP>
Date: 18 Jan 88 18:18:29 GMT
References: <1671@russell.STANFORD.EDU-
Organization: Paradyne Corporation, Largo, Florida
Lines: 28

In article <1671@russell.STANFORD.EDU-, nakashim@russell.STANFORD.EDU (Hideyuki Nakashima) writes:
- I came up with a theory to explain the difference in word orders
- between English and Japanese.  This is a very naive theory.  Any
- comments are welcome.
- 
- In English, verbs come very early in the sentence.  Second position in
- declarative and the first position in imperative.  In Japanese, verbs
- come at the end of sentences.  In general, in English, head features
- (dominant information) come first while in Japanese they come later.
- Another example is negation marker.  In English it comes very early
- while in Japanese it comes at the end.  You cannot tell if the sentence
- is positive or negative until you hear the very last, in Japanese.
- 
- Now, English (probably I can say Latin) speaking people are basically
- hunters, while Japanese are basically farmers.  Hunting is a real-time
- job while farming is not.
- 
- ...
- 
- I don't think this explains all the difference of language features,
- but at least I find it interesting.  Any comments?
- 
In Latin, the verb comes at the end.
-- 
Colin Kendall				Paradyne Corporation
{gatech,akgua}!usfvax2!pdn!colin	Mail stop LF-207
Phone: (813) 530-8697			8550 Ulmerton Road, PO Box 2826
					Largo, FL  33294-2826