From Proto-Hungarian SOV to Old Hungarian Top Foc V X*

É. Kiss, Katalin (2013) From Proto-Hungarian SOV to Old Hungarian Top Foc V X*. DIACHRONICA, 30. pp. 202-231. ISSN 0176-4225

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Abstract

This paper claims that Hungarian underwent a word order change from SOV to Top Foc V X* prior to its documented history beginning at the end of the 12th century. Proto- Hungarian SOV is reconstructed primarily on the basis of shared constructions of archaic Old Hungarian, and Khanty and Mansy, the sister languages of Hungarian. It is argued that the most likely scenario of the change from head-final to head-initial was the spreading of right dislocation, and the reanalysis of right dislocated elements by new generations of speakers as arguments in situ. In Hungarian − as opposed to Khanty and Mansy − right dislocation was facilitated by the extension of differential object marking to all direct objects. The change of basic word order initiated the restructuring of other parts of Hungarian grammar, as well, which is a still ongoing process.

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