OV∼VO in Itelmen: information structure and postverbal objects in a verb-final language

A preliminary investigation of four contemporary texts suggests that the alternation between object–verb (OV) and verb–object (VO) orders in Itelmen is primarily a function of information structure. Objects introducing a new discourse referent primarily occur in preverbal positions, while objects picking out a previously mentioned entity may occur in either order. This result may shed light on two points of analytic indeterminacy in Itelmen. In a cross-linguistic context, the broad outlines of a generalization are tentatively discernible: the discourse-related factors that influence the packaging of information may follow common themes across unrelated languages, best stated in terms of structure rather than linear order. The Itelmen pattern matches one that is known from other OV languages, potentially derivable from prosodic factors, suggesting that the properties of VO order in Itelmen are not (merely) the result of Russian (VO) contact. Moreover, the asymmetry between the robustness of the ordering effect for O new and the optionality for O old fits to a common pattern where IS-driven ordering competes with pressure to retain a canonical order, yielding rigidity when these align and optionality when they conflict. An alternative account in terms of communicative efficiency and redundant coding of grammatical roles is considered, but the account in terms of information structure is found to be superior.