Definition, Meaning & Synonyms

svo-language

Noun

/ɛs vi oʊ ˈlæŋɡwɪdʒ/

Definition

A type of language that follows the Subject-Verb-Object word order in its sentences.

Examples

In English, the phrase ‘The cat (subject) chases (verb) the mouse (object)’ illustrates SVO order.
Mandarin Chinese, another SVO language, can express similar structures as in ‘Tā (subject) zǒu (verb) shū (object)’,’ which means ‘He walks a book.’

Meaning

In SVO languages, the subject of the sentence comes first, followed by the verb and then the object. This structure is commonly used in many languages, including English.