Word Order in Asaxi

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Grammatical Concept: Head-Final Syntax

Asaxi is a Head-Final language with a Marked Nominative alignment. While the default word order is SOV (Subject-Object-Verb), the language is fundamentally Topic-Prominent.

The Core Rule: The Verb (or Stative Particle) must always come last.
Branching: Asaxi is Left-Branching. Modifiers generally appear before the word they modify.

1. The Core Sentence Structure (Active)

Standard Order (SOV)

The default, neutral sentence places the actor first, the target second, and the action last.

Formula:

[Subject] + [Object] + [Verb]

Example:

To John shěso shěsonů. John reads the book.

Subject vs. Object Identification

Asaxi operates on a strict Marked Nominative / Zero Accusative system.

The Unmarked Object: Asaxi does NOT mark the Direct Object. There is no specific particle for the object. It is identified purely by deduction (it is the noun without a subject/oblique marker).
The Marked Subject: The Subject is explicitly identified by a particle.
- to: Standard Subject Marker (Objective).
- ă: Subjective Subject Marker (Internal/Emotional).

Logic of Deduction:

“If a noun has to or ă, it is the Doer. If a noun has no particle, it is the Receiver.”

2. Topic-Prominence & The Null Topic

Asaxi is a Null-Topic Language. This means the sentence is structured around a “Topic” (what we are talking about) rather than a strict grammatical Subject.

Rules:

The Hidden Topic: Once a topic is established, it is omitted.
- Context: “What about John?”
- Answer: Shěso shěsonů. (“(As for him), reading a book.“)
Explicit Topic (dhè): If you need to shift the topic or emphasize it, you use the particle dhè.

3. Dropping the Subject Marker (Efficiency)

The marker (to or ă) is not mandatory in standard speech (both formal and informal), if the sentence follows the strict S-O-V order. It is frequently dropped to increase conversation speed.

A. Intransitive / Stative Clauses If there is only one noun, the marker is almost always dropped.

Example: John shá xiŕa. (John is a person).

B. Transitive Clauses (Strict SOV) If the subject marker is dropped in a sentence with two nouns, Strict Word Order is enforced to prevent ambiguity.

Rule: The First unmarked noun is the Subject. The Second unmarked noun is the Object.
Example: John shěso shěsonů. (John reads the book).

C. Emphatic to Even in standard S-O-V order, inserting to places specific focus on the Subject.

Example:

To John shěso shěsonů. Nuance: “It is John (specifically) who is reading the book.”

4. Poetic Inversion (Active OVS)

Because the Subject can be explicitly marked, it may be moved away from the start of the sentence for dramatic effect.

Constraint A: Mandatory Marker You cannot drop the subject marker (to/ă) if you change the word order. If the marker is absent, the first noun is assumed to be the Subject.

Constraint B: The Pause (Disambiguation) When moving the Subject to a position after a prepositional phrase or object, a Pause (Comma) is often required to prevent the subject marker from being misinterpreted as a Linker.

Without Pause: Izo sháŕo **to** Mary... (The Mary from the pool…). (to links the phrase to the noun).
With Pause: Izo sháŕo, **to** Mary... (From the pool, Mary…). (The comma breaks the link, allowing to to mark the Subject).

Structure:

[Object] + [Verb] + [Pause] + [Marker + Subject]

Example (Dramatic Reveal):

Shěso shěsonů, to John. Reading the book… is John.

5. Post-Verbal Elements

While the Verb ends the grammatical clause, specific particles may trail after it to modify the mood or social context.

The Tail Sequence:

[Verb] + (Mood/Imperative) + (Discourse Marker) + (Conjunction)

Example: Shěsonů **ë dzè**... (Reads, right? But…)

6. Passive Voice (Topicalized OSV)

Asaxi achieves Passive Voice by promoting the Object to the Topic position using the particle dhè.

Structure:

dhè [Patient/Object] + [Agent/Subject] + [Verb]

Example:

Dhè kjèpo Tom zèchỏnů. TOP tree Tom PAST-chop “The tree was chopped by Tom.”

7. Temporal Adverbials (The Bare Adverb Rule)

Specific temporal nouns (like hwo “Yesterday”, vwo “Today”, pwo “Tomorrow”) function as Bare Adverbials. They do not require a case particle to indicate time.

A. Sentence-Initial (Frame / Topic)

Structure: [Time], [Subject] ... [Verb]
Example: Hwo, to wo zèxoxo. (“Yesterday, I departed.“)

B. Post-Subject (Standard Adverb)

Structure: [Subject] [Time] ... [Verb]
Example: To wo hwo zèxoxo. (“I yesterday departed.”)

8. Implicit Agents in Requests

In Causative sentences (“Make X do Y”), ambiguity can arise regarding who is causing the action. However, if the sentence is a Request (marked by kă), the ambiguity is resolved by social logic.

The Logic of kă:

Implied Agent: A request always targets the Listener (“You”). Therefore, “You” are the Causer.
Role Assignment: Since the Causer is “You” (implicit), any remaining noun must be the Subject of the underlying verb (the one being made to act).

Example: Waking Up

Wo hèpăŕokă. 1SG CAUS-emerge-PLEASE “Please wake me up.” (Lit: Please make me emerge).

Parsing without kă: Wo hèpăŕo. → Ambiguous. “I make (someone) emerge” OR “I am made to emerge.”
Parsing with kă: Since you are asking the listener to do it, “You” are the Causer. Therefore, Wo must be the one waking.

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07_Word Order in Asaxi