18_Conjunctions & Clause Linking

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Grammatical Concept: Clause Connection

While ja connects nouns within a list, Asaxi uses a distinct set of Particles to connect full clauses (Subject-Predicate relationships).

These particles generally appear between the two clauses they connect. Because Asaxi is Head-Final, the connective particle attaches to the end of the first clause, establishing the context before the second clause begins.

1. Logical Connectors

These particles establish the logical relationship between two statements.

Particle	Meaning	Logic	Example
dzè	But / However	Contrast	[A] dzè, [B]
si	Or	Alternative	[A] si, [B]
ŕa	And (Clauses)	Coordination	[A] ŕa, [B]

Example (Contrast):

To wo aśù dzè, haśùná. SUBJ 1SG walk BUT run-NEG “I walk, but I do not run.” Note: aśù (Walk) and haśù (Run) are Root Verbs. Negation is marked by appending ná.

2. The Causal Chain (sèwo / ninå)

Causality involves a dynamic pair of particles. While Asaxi prefers Head-Final syntax, sèwo allows for a specific front-loaded exception.

• sèwo (Because/Since): sè (From) + o- (Here/This).
• ninå (Therefore/Result): ni (To) + nå (Now).

Usage Rules

A. Standard Head-Final (Post-Positional) The particle sèwo attaches to the end of the Cause clause. This is the default structure.

• Structure: [Cause] sèwo, [Effect].
• Meaning: “Because [Cause], [Effect].”

To topo toponů sèwo, wo shěsonů. SUBJ rain raining SINCE, 1SG read “Because it is raining, I read.”

B. The Front-Loaded Exception (Emphasis) If the speaker wishes to emphasize the reason by placing sèwo at the very start of the sentence, they must use ninå (Therefore) to mark the beginning of the result clause. This bracket structure balances the violation of Head-Final syntax.

• Structure: Sèwo [Cause], ninå [Effect].
• Meaning: “Since [Cause], therefore [Effect].”

Sèwo topo toponů, ninå wo shěsonů. SINCE rain raining THEREFORE 1SG read “Since it is raining, therefore I read.”

C. The Mid-Sentence Fusion (sèni) If sèwo (end of Clause A) meets ninå (start of Clause B), they fuse into sèni.

• Structure: [Cause] sèni [Effect].
• Meaning: “[Cause], so/therefore [Effect].”

To wo haśù sèni, to wo aśùná. SUBJ 1SG run SO SUBJ 1SG walk-NEG “I run, so I do not walk.”

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3. Temporal Linking & Frequency

These particles locate the action in time relative to the moment of speech, the previous clause, or a frequency scale. They adhere to Head-Final syntax.

A. Clause Connectors (Event Relative)

Used to link two specific events in time.

Particle	Meaning	Logic	Structure
månixåkam	By the time that	Limit	[Limit Clause] månixåkam, [Main Clause]
vå	When	Inside	[Event A] vå, [Event B]
zå	Then / Next	Sequence	[Event A] zå, [Event B]
nivå	While / During	Duration	[Event A] nivå, [Event B]

B. Temporal Aspect (The -nå Matrix)

These particles modify the state of the action relative to Nå (Now). They appear at the end of the sentence.

Particle	Meaning	Etymology	Logic
nå	Now / Currently	na (On) + å	”On-Time.”
panå	Not Yet	pa (Front) + nå	”Front-Now.” (Future state).
hùnå	Already	hù (Behind) + nå	”Behind-Now.” (Past state).
vanå	Still	va (Inside) + nå	”Inside-Now.” (Ongoing state).

C. Frequency (Floating Adverbs)

These particles define how often an action occurs. Syntactically, they behave like Adverbs, typically appearing before the verb (Pre-Verbal Slot).

Particle	Meaning	Etymology	Logic
izånixå	From time to time	izo+å+nixå	”From-Time-To-Time.”
nanå	Often	na (Stack) + nå	”Stacked-Time.”
gănå	Sometime	gă (Indefinite) + nå	”Somewhere-Time.”
onå	Forever / Always	o (Sky) + nå	”Sky-Time” (Eternal).
opùnå	Usually	pù (Below) + onå	”Below-Always.”
nåsi	Never	nå + si (Void)	“Time-Void.”

Usage Examples

1. Frequency (Pre-Verbal)

To wo nanå shěsonů. SUBJ 1SG OFTEN read “I often read.”

2. Negative Frequency

To wo nåsi shěsonů. SUBJ 1SG NEVER read “I never read.”

3. Habitual

To wo opùnå shěso shěsonů. SUBJ 1SG USUALLY book read “I usually read books.”

4. Conditional (chě)

Marks the preceding clause as a hypothetical condition. Always Head-Final.

• Structure: [Condition] chě, [Result].
• Meaning: “If [Condition], [Result].”

Context:

Leaning over the railing of a zoo enclosure while holding an apple. The speaker gestures toward the specific animal directly below them (o-jýnn) and posits a hypothetical to a friend. The immediate physical presence of the fruit and the speaker allows for the efficient omission (Pro-drop) of the Subject (“I”) and the Direct Object (“Apple”).

Topù chě, onă o-jýnn chỏnů. drop IF DEF.WARM PROX-hyena eat If (I) drop (it), this hyena (will) eat (it).

To John dåni Tom onă gajýnapo dao chě, Tom gajýn niŕa. `SUBJ John DAT-ALL Tom DEF.WARM hyena-apple give IF Tom were-hyena destined-to-be_ “If John gives Tom the hyena-apple (here), Tom is destined to become a were-hyena.”_

5. Advanced Conditionals (Compound chě)

The standard conditional particle chě can be modified by suffixes to alter the logic of the condition.

Particle	Meaning	Components	Logic	Structure
chěxa	Even if / Although	chě + xa (Above)	“If [X], but the result is above the condition.”	[Clause A] chěxa, [Clause B]
chěná	Unless / Except if	chě + ná (Not)	“If Not.”	[Clause A] chěná, [Clause B]

Usage Examples

1. Concessive (chěxa)

Topo toponů chěxa, pahaśù. rain raining EVEN.IF, FUT-run _ “Even if it rains, (I) will run.”_

2. Negative Conditional (chěná)

John chỏnů chěná, xő gadă panèniŕa. John eat UNLESS, he immensity FUT-NEG-destined-for _ “Unless John eats, he will not become immense/giant._