V2 Word Order

V2 Word Order

In syntax, verb-second (V2) word order is the most distinctive principle of word order in Germanic languages. The only exception here is English, which has predominantly SVO instead of V2 order, although certain vestiges of the V2 phenomenon can also be found in English. The V2 principle requires that the finite verb (= inflected verb) appear in second position of a declarative main clause, whereby the first position is occupied by a single major constituent that functions as the clause topic. Germanic languages differ with respect to word order in embedded clauses. German and Dutch, for instance, abandon the V2 principle in embedded clauses and replace it with VF (verb final) order, whereas other Germanic languages, e.g. Yiddish and Icelandic, maintain V2 in all clauses, main and embedded.