Proto-Alri syntax

Main article: Proto-Alri

This page gives an extensive description of Proto-Alri syntactical features.

Main clause and word order

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

ṫiʡek̇ə laje majrow
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 construct.

laje ṫiʡek̇ə majrow
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, can be freely placed before or after the direct object of the sentence, with a slight tendence to be placed after it.

khjenek̇ə sowʡe lajeʈu k̇oʂu / khjenek̇ə lajeʈu sowʡe k̇oʂu
the man gives bread to the dog / the man gives the dog bread

A peculiar feature is the agreement system of nouns with nominal forms of verbs. The subject of a deverbal nominal form is treated as the original point of an action and it is declined in the ablative case, while the possible direct object is treated as the final point of an action and it is declined in the terminative case.

majre lajeʈu ṫiʡeʡo
the man's sight of the dog