Thahi syntax

Main article: Thahi

This page gives an extensive description of Thahi syntactical features.

Main clause and word order

Thahi is an almost strictly VSO (Verb-Subject-Object) language.

gäkhägùsga gòpha kheʔù
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 VOS (Verb-Object-Subject), which conveys a passive meaning.

gäkhägùsga kheʔù gòpha
the dog is seen by the man

The other elements in the sentence are usually placed in the order “time-cause-manner-place”, although they are basically freer than the main elements. An object in the dative case, when conveying the indirect object, tends to be placed after the direct object of the sentence.

gebolérmo gòpha bèse na kheʔù
the man gives bread to the dog