Distance minimization is a general principle of language. A special case of this principle in the domain of word order is swap distance minimization. This principle predicts that variations from a canonical order that are reached by fewer swaps of adjacent constituents are lest costly and thus more likely. Here we investigate the principle in the context of the triple formed by subject (S), object (O) and verb (V). We introduce the concept of word order rotation as a cognitive underpinning of that prediction. When the canonical order of a language is SOV, the principle predicts SOV < SVO, OSV < VSO, OVS < VOS, in order of increasing cognitive cost. We test the prediction in three flexible order SOV languages: Korean (Koreanic), Malayalam (Dravidian), and Sinhalese (Indo-European). Evidence of swap distance minimization is found in all three languages, but it is weaker in Sinhalese. Swap distance minimization is stronger than a preference for the canonical order in Korean and especially Malayalam.

翻译：距离最小化是语言的一项普遍原则。在语序领域中，该原则的一个特殊形式是交换距离最小化。该原则预测，相较于标准语序，通过更少的相邻成分交换所达到的变体其认知代价更低，因而更可能被使用。本文以主语（S）、宾语（O）和动词（V）构成的三元组为语境，对该原则展开研究。我们引入语序旋转的概念，作为该预测的认知基础。当语言的基准语序为SOV时，该原则预测：按认知成本递增的顺序排列为 SOV < SVO, OSV < VSO, OVS < VOS。我们在三种灵活语序的SOV语言中检验了这一预测：韩语（朝鲜语系）、马拉雅拉姆语（达罗毗荼语系）和僧伽罗语（印欧语系）。研究发现，三种语言均存在交换距离最小化的证据，但在僧伽罗语中表现较弱。在韩语特别是马拉雅拉姆语中，交换距离最小化的作用强于对基准语序的偏好。