18_Argument Structure & Valency

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Grammatical Concept: Extended Valency

Asaxi constructs complex sentences (Ditransitive or Tritransitive) by utilizing the NPCP (Noun-Preceding Case-Particle) system. Rather than relying on unique verb conjugations to handle extra arguments, the language treats all non-Subject/non-Object participants as Oblique Arguments marked by specific particles.

The Argument Inventory

The sentence core consists of the Subject (to) and the Direct Object (Unmarked). All other participants are slotted in using the following structures:

Structure	Particle	Function	Logic
Causative	bă	Causer / Agent	Indicates who forced/enabled the action (Requires Causative Voice on verb).
Dative	då	Recipient	Indicates who receives the object/benefit.
Ablative	izo	Source	Indicates where the object is taken from.
Allative	ni	Goal	Indicates where the object is put to.
Comitative	zá	Partner	Indicates who accompanies the subject.

Syntactic Flexibility

The word order of these arguments depends entirely on the presence of the Subject Marker to.

1. Flexible Order (Marked Subject)

If the Subject is explicitly marked with to, the other arguments (including the Direct Object) may be scrambled for emphasis. Because the Direct Object is the only unmarked noun in the sentence, it remains unambiguous.

2. Strict Order (Unmarked Subject)

If the Subject marker to is omitted (Pro-drop or Economy), the sentence must follow strict SOV logic.

• Rule: The First Unmarked Noun is the Subject. The Second Unmarked Noun is the Object.

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Primary Valency Structures

Here are the five primary ways to extend a sentence beyond Subject-Object-Verb.

1. The Imperative Structure

Particle: bă (Causer) + Voice: hè- (Prefix) This structure introduces an external agent who forces or permits the Subject to act.

• Formula: [To Subject/Doer] + [bă Causer] + [Direct Object] + [hè-Verb]

• Example:

  To John bă shějýnshá shěso hèshěsonů. SUBJ John CAUS teacher book IMP-read “The teacher makes John read the book.”

2. The Dative Structure (Transfer)

Particle: då (Recipient) Used for verbs of giving, showing, or telling.

• Formula: [To Subject] + [då Recipient] + [Direct Object] + [Verb]
• Example:

  To wo då John apo ma. SUBJ 1SG DAT John apple have “I have an apple for John.”

3. The Ablative Structure (Source)

Particle: izo (Source) Used for verbs of taking, removal, or origin.

• Formula: [To Subject] + [izo Source] + [Direct Object] + [Verb]
• Example:

  To John izo kjèpo apo chỏnů. SUBJ John ABL tree apple eat “John eats an apple from the tree.”

4. The Allative Structure (Goal)

Particle: ni (Destination) Used for verbs of placement or sending.

• Formula: [To Subject] + [ni Goal] + [Direct Object] + [Verb]
• Example:

  To wo ni tobo shěso topu. SUBJ 1SG ALL table book put “I put the book on(to) the table.”

5. The Comitative Structure (Association)

Particle: zá (Partner) Used for cooperative actions.

• Formula: [To Subject] + [zá Partner] + [Direct Object] + [Verb]
• Example:

  To John zá shějýnshá shěso shěsonů. SUBJ John COM teacher book read “John reads the book with the teacher.”

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Summary of Argument Slots

Asaxi allows you to slot these arguments freely between the Subject and the Verb. The table below shows the functional mapping.

Slot 1 (Subject)	Slot 2 (Oblique Arg)	Slot 3 (Direct Object)	Slot 4 (Verb)	Function
To Doer	bă Causer	Object	hè-Verb	Imperative
To Doer	då Recipient	Object	Verb	Transfer
To Doer	izo Source	Object	Verb	Removal
To Doer	ni Goal	Object	Verb	Placement
To Doer	zá Partner	Object	Verb	Cooperation

6. Complex Structures: Compounds & Lists

Asaxi syntax allows for high-density information within the argument slots by using Compound Particles and Nominal Lists.

A. The Transfer Compound (dåni)

When a verb implies both a beneficiary (Dative) and physical movement (Allative)—such as “giving,” “handing,” or “passing”—the particles fuse into a single block.

• Components: då (Recipient) + ni (Direction).
• Fusion: dåni.
• Meaning: “To” (in the sense of transferring possession towards someone).
• Usage: Preferred over simple då when the object physically moves from A to B.

Example (Ditransitive Transfer):

To John dåni Tom apa zèdao. SUBJ John DAT-ALL Tom apples PAST-give “John gave apples to Tom.”

B. Argument Lists (The ja Conjunction)

Multiple nouns can occupy a single argument slot using the connective particle ja.

• Rule: The Relational Particle (e.g., zá, då, bă) is placed once at the beginning of the list. It applies to every noun in the chain.
• Placement: ja appears only before the final item.

Formula:

[Particle] [Noun A], [Noun B] ja [Noun C]

Examples

1. Subject List (Compound Doer)

John ja Tom dåni jýnma jágoma zèdao. John AND Tom DAT-ALL hyenas blueberries PAST-give “John and Tom gave the hyenas blueberries.”

2. Oblique List (Compound Recipient)

To John dåni Tom, Jerry ja Barry apa zèdao. SUBJ John DAT-ALL Tom Jerry AND Barry apples PAST-give “John gave apples to Tom, Jerry, and Barry.”

3. Object List (Compound Theme)

To John dåni Tom apa ja jága zèdao. SUBJ John DAT-ALL Tom apples AND blueberries PAST-give “John gave Tom apples and blueberries.”

7. Floating Modifiers (Scope Precision)

Asaxi allows specific quantifiers and aspectual particles to “float” within the sentence structure. Consistent with Asaxi’s Left-Branching noun phrases (Modifier-Head), Floating Modifiers precede the noun they modify.

The Distributive Quantifiers

• ojano (Individually / Apiece)
• jonojo (One by one / Sequential)
• okonoko (Here and there / Spatial)

Scope Rules

1. Subject Modification: [Quantifier] + [To Subject] + ... + [Verb]

• Logic: The Subject group performs the action individually.
• Example: Jonojo wa hja pashěsonů.
  • DIST We them(things) FUT-read
  • “We, one by one, will read them.” (We take turns reading).

2. Object Modification: ... + [Quantifier] + [Object] + [Verb]

• Logic: The Object group is processed individually.
• Example: To wo jonojo shěsa pashěsonů.
  • SUBJ 1SG DIST books FUT-read
  • “I will read the books one by one.” (I read Book A, then Book B).

3. Oblique Modification: ... + [Quantifier] + [då/zá/bă Noun] + ...

• Logic: The oblique participants are treated individually.
• Example: To wo jonojo då sháma shěso zèdao.
  • SUBJ 1SG DIST DAT people book PAST-give
  • “I gave a book to the people, one by one.” (To Person A, then to Person B).

Syntax Summary

Modifier Type	Position	Direction of Modification	Examples
NPCP (Case)	Pre-Noun	→ Right (Noun)	to, sè, bă, då
Floating Quantifier	Pre-Noun	→ Right (Noun)	ojano, jonojo