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.

语言中的距离最小化是一般原则，其特例是词序中的交换距离最小化。本文探讨了该原则在主语（S）、宾语（O）和动词（V）三者组成的三元组中的表现，并引入了词序旋转的概念作为预测的认知基础。结果表明，在三种灵活顺序 SOV 语言（韩语、马拉雅拉姆语和僧伽罗语）中均存在交换距离最小化的证据，但在僧伽罗语中较为弱。在韩语和尤其是马拉雅拉姆语中，交换距离最小化比对规范顺序的偏好更为突出。