Dʰakʰi syntax

Main article: Dʰakʰi

This page gives an extensive description of Dʰakʰi syntactical features.

Main clause and word order

Dʰakʰi is an almost strictly SOV (Subject-Object-Verb) language.

koːbʰa gʰeʡuː kəgʰəkuːska
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 conveys a passive meaning.

gʰeʡuː koːbʰa kəgʰəkuːska
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.

koːbʰa gʰeʡuː na peːse kepoljermo
the man gives bread to the dog