Table 1. Constituent order in ABSL and surrounding languages.

Language	Sentential constituents	N-modifier order	Negation	N-numeral order
Spoken Arabic dialect	S-V-O	N-modifier	Negation-head (split negation)	Numeral-N
Classical Arabic	V-S-O	N-modifier	Negation-head	Numeral-N
Hebrew	S-V-O or V initial	N-modifier	Negation-head	Numeral-N
ISL	S-V-O, O-S-V, or S-O-V*	N-modifier	Negation-head or head-negation	N-numeral or numeral-N
ABSL	S-O-V	N-modifier	Head-negation	N-numeral

Major constituent order in ABSL differs from that of any surrounding language. Within constituents, head-modifier order in ABSL is consistently head-initial, whereas the order varies in the surrounding languages, depending on the modifier.

^*S-O-V word order in ISL is quite rare