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3.2.1 Transitive sentences
This section is devoted to subject position in three types of transitive sentences: those
with one internal DP argument, those with an internal DP and internal PP argument, and
those with a CP argument.
3.2.1.1 Transitives with one internal DP argument
The basic word order of most Marshallese transitive sentences is Subject Verb Object
(although the subject is frequently omitted when it is clear from the context of the
conversation) (256):
S V O
(256) a. Leddik eo e-ar kaplo-uk Ĝaddik eo.
girl the.s 3s.agr-T(past) spit.on-trans boy the.s
'The girl spit on the boy.'
Sentences with V S O order are ungrammatical.
*V S O
(256) b.*E-ar kaplo-uk leddik eo Ĝaddik eo.
3s.agr-T(past) spit.on-trans girl the.s boy the.s
'The girl spit on the boy.'
Most speakers will also accept sentences with final subjects, provided that these
sentences have special intonation and a pause before the subject (256c).
V O S
(256) c. E-kar kaplo-uk Ĝaddik eo, leddik eo.
3s.agr-T(past) spit.on-trans boy the.s girl the.s
'She spit on the boy, the girl.'
I have translated (256c) differently from (256a&b) because, as I will argue in section 3.3,
these sentences have a different phonological and information status than those with
initial or internal subjects. As the translation indicates, I will argue that these sentences
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