Æbbro syntax
- Main article: Æbbro
This page gives an extensive description of Æbbro syntactical features.
Main clause and word order
Æbbro is an almost strictly SOV (Subject-Object-Verb) language.
tterni woohano tuurkarom the man sees the dog
The quite rich case system allows every other possible word order, but most of them prove to be very marked and infrequently used. The only word order with a clear role and a frequent usage is OSV (Object-Subject-Verbs), which marks the so-called passive construction.
woohano tterni tuurkarom it's the dog the man sees → the dog is seen by the man
The other elements in the sentence are usually placed in the order “place-manner-cause-time”, although they are basically freer than the main elements. An object in the dative case, when conveying the indirect object, tends to be placed before the direct object of the sentence.
A peculiar feature is the verbal infinitival agreement: infinitival forms, as semi-nominal forms of the verbs, can have a different subject from the one of the conjugated verb which supports them. In this case, this subject is declined in the ablative case.
roo kaažimom taaśu mikpimeśinneti I say he went away.
