Nov06A –  A Constructed Language

Nov06A Syntax

Legend: Definitions, Terms, <Text>, [IPA], -Tags-, and "Glosses".

Syntax Overview

Phrases

A phrase is either a pronoun, a noun phrase, or a genitive construction. The order of noun phrase constituents is as follows:

(Determiner)	(Quantity)	Noun	(Participle)*	(RelativeClause)

• Determiner is one of the determiner particles.
• Quantity is a quantity word.
• Noun is a noun form.
• Each Participle is a participle preceded by polarity (as with finite verbs).
• RelativeClause is a relative clause.

A relative clause must contain the relative suffix -Rel.

If the noun is non-referential, no determiner or quantity word can appear in the phrase.

Genitive Construction

The order of constituents in a genitive construction is as follows:

Genitive	(Possessor)	Possessum

• Genitive is a form of the genitive word Gen.
• Possessor is the possessor phrase, if the genitive word agrees with 3rd person.
• Possessum is the possessum phrase.

Partitive Construction

A partitive construction denotes a part of a whole, which is either a mass entity or a plural. The order of constituents in a partitive construction is as follows:

Partitive	(Whole)	PartQuantity

• Partitive is a form of the partitive word Par.
• Whole is the phrase representing the whole, if the partitive word agrees with 3rd person.
• PartQuantity is a quantity word representing the cardinality of the part.

An ordinal or superlative construction is either explicitly partitive or implicitly so. The orders of constituents in the explicit constructions are as follows:

Partitive	(Whole)	(PartQuantity)	Ordinal
Partitive	(Whole)	(PartQuantity)	Superlative

• Partitive is a form of the partitive word Par.
• Whole is the phrase representing the whole, if the partitive word agrees with 3rd person.
• PartQuantity is a quantity word representing the cardinality of the part.
• Ordinal is an ordinal number while Superlative is the superlative derivation of a scalar verb.

The orders of constituents in the implicit constructions are as follows:

(PartQuantity)	Ordinal	RestOfPhrase
(PartQuantity)	Superlative	RestOfPhrase

• PartQuantity is a quantity word representing the cardinality of the part.
• Ordinal is an ordinal number while Superlative is the superlative derivation of a scalar verb.
• RestOfPhrase is the rest of the phrase representing the part; its number agrees with the quantity word.

Clauses

The order of clause constituents is as follows:

(Polarity)	Verb	(Subject)	(Primary)	(Secondary)	?

• Polarity is either negative (bar, Neg) or positive (unmarked).
• Verb is a finite verb form.
• Subject is the phrase for the 1st argument, if it's 3rd person.
• Primary is the phrase for the 2nd argument, if it's 3rd person.
• Secondary is the phrase for the 3rd argument of a trivalent verb.

Copular Clauses

The subject of the copula precedes the complement, when both are 3rd person.

Copular Forms

	2	Cor	Rel	3
1S	davé	dayen	dayuk	dai
1P	daviš	dašin	dašik	deš
Incl	-	datan	datok	data
2	-	daven	davuk	dau
Cor	-	-	-	dan
Rel	-	-	-	dok
3	-	-	-	da

Vocative Phrases

A vocative phrase identifies the addressee(s) and may appear within a clause or before one. It consists of the vocative particle Voc followed by a phrase.

Adverbial Phrases

Questions and Commands

A polar (yes/no) question is indicated by the initial polar question particle PQ (či). A content question is indicated by the presence of a content question determiner CQ (če), pronoun (čemo, čeþa), or scalar adverb DQ (ču).

A command is indicated by an imperative, hortative, or jussive verb form.

Sentences

Subordinate Clauses

A subordinate clause may coreference an argument of the preceding clause using the coreferential suffix -Cor or it may be non-coreferential. That argument must not be 1st, inclusive, or 2nd person.

A complement clause follows its matrix clauses, replacing the 3rd argument of a trivalent verb or the 2nd argument of a bivalent verb, which must have 3rd person agreement for that argument.

An adjunct clause also follows its matrix clause.

Compound Sentences

Conditional Sentences

Satisfactive Sentences

page started: 2016.Nov.11 Fri
current date: 2016.Nov.22 Tue
content and form originated by qiihoskeh

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