Verb Second (V2) languages are characterised by having the finite verb strictly as the second constituent in main clauses. In a global perspective V2 languages are a relatively rare phenomenon. The best studied ones are the Germanic V2 languages.There is broad consensus in the literature, based mainly but not exclusively, on study of the Germanic V2 languages, that V2 order is derived by movement of the finite verb to C in main clauses, with movement of an XP to spec-CP (with some controversy regarding ‘which C’ is the crucial one).

Another European V2 language is Estonian, a Uralic language of the Finnic genus. Estonian is alone among the Uralic languages in having V2 order. The likely historical explanation is extensive language contact with German up to the early 20th century. Estonian has some exceptions to V2, though, not seen in the (modern) Germanic languages: First, if the subject is a weak pronoun it will intervene between a fronted XP and the finite verb. Second, a nuclear-accented finite verb remains in low position.

My talk is based on recent work together with Heete Sahkai and Anne Tamm. We propose a syntactic description of Estonian clauses within a minimalist theory which will account for V2 in Estonian, with its various exceptions. This will be compared with the clausal syntax of Swedish, as a representative of the Germanic V2 languages, and with the clausal syntax of Finnish, a language closely related to Estonian but not exhibiting V2. It will be shown that the syntax of the left periphery in Estonian is more similar to that of Finnish than that of the V2 language Swedish. The difference between Estonian and Finnish as regards V2 is not that the verb moves higher in Estonian, or that object or adjuncts move higher in Finnish. The categories, structures and movements are the same. The difference is the spell-out of the movement chains. Estonian, unlike Finnish, has a constraint on sentential prosodic structure which is breached by a full NP, but not by a weak pronoun, in subject position. As a result, a lower copy of the full NP is spelled out. This accounts for the V2 order in Estonian including the first exception. The second exception results from a constraint on prosodic headedness which blocks the spell-out of the highest copy of the finite verb and causes a lower copy to be spelled out, if the verb receives nuclear accent. Germanic V2 order, by contrast, is unaffected by prosody: the verb is spelled out in second position no matter what.

V2 in Estonian would be a case of ‘borrowing’ of a linear order constraint under language contact but without taking over the derivation of the linear order.