Syntax & Clause Structure
1 min read · 80 words
Word Order & Information Structure
Default Order: Head-Initial, SVO (Subject-Verb-Object).
Focus Fronting: Core arguments can be moved to the absolute front of a clause to signal strong contrastive focus without requiring cleft-sentence morphology.
Property State Example |
|---|
tí nga kun | u úng |
water.EMPH 1 want | NEG fire.EMPH |
It's WATER I want, not FIRE |
Zero-Copula Property States
Descriptive property roots act directly as stative predicates, bypassing the need for an intervening copula or linking verb.
Property State Example |
|---|
kum bam |
ship bad/broken |
The ship is bad/broken |