What does it mean to say a language isa verb initial language?

Answer 1

Maybe this is referring to the word order of the language. English word order is Subject Verb Object. Many languages have word order that is V S O.

For example New Zealand Maori:

(Ka hopu) (te ngeru ) ( i te manu)

(V) (S) (O)

(catches) (the bird) (the cat)

So the verb goes in the initial position in a sentence - a verb initial language.

Answer 2

A verb-initial language is one where the verb usually comes at the beginning of a sentence or clause. This structure is common in languages like Hawaiian or Mayan, where the verb plays a prominent role in expressing meaning and indicates the action or event happening in the sentence.