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30_Advanced Syntax & Phrase Structure

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30_Advanced Syntax & Phrase Structure

Grammatical Concept: The Left-Branching Hierarchy

Asaxi syntax is built on a strict Head-Final logic. In almost every structure (Noun Phrases, Verb Complexes, Sentences), the “Head” (the core meaning) appears last, while all modifiers branch to the Left.

This consistency allows speakers to stack complex descriptions without ambiguity, even when pronouns are dropped.

1. The Noun Phrase (Micro-Syntax)

The internal structure of a Noun Phrase (NP) follows a rigid Determiner-First hierarchy.

The Hierarchy:

[Determiner] + [Floating Quantifier] + [Relative Clause] + [Adjective / Ga-Compound] + [Head Noun]

A. The Phrasal Linker (to / ă)

Complex Prepositional Phrases modify a noun by linking them with to.

  • Standard Rule: [Phrase] + to + [Head Noun]
    • Example: Izo kjè to ŕimshá. (“The lemur from the tree”).
  • Genitive Exception: For possession (sè), the linker is optional.
    • Structure: [Sè Owner] + [Head Noun]
    • Example: Sè wo shěso. (“My book”).

Breakdown of Slots

  1. Determiner: The Anchor. It signals the start of the phrase. (onă / onýj)
  2. Floating Quantifier: Distributives (jonojo, ojano).
  3. Relative Clause: The complex modifier. Describes an event involving the noun.
  4. Adjective / Compound: Intrinsic qualities (shěsonýj, gapo).
  5. Head Noun: The entity itself.

Complex Example

Target: “The red books that John dropped one by one.”

Onýj jonojo [To John zètopu] gaposhěsa… DEF DIST [SUBJ John PAST-drop] red-books…

  • Analysis:

    1. Onýj: Starts the phrase (The…).
    2. Jonojo: Distributes the items (One by one…).
    3. [To John zètopu]: Describes the event (That John dropped…).
    4. gaposhěsa: The core object (Red books).

A. The Phrasal & Clausal Linker (to / ă)

The particles to and ă function as Linkers when they connect a modifier to a noun.

  • Structure: [Modifier Phrase] + to + [Head Noun]
  • Example: Sè John to shěso. (“John’s book”).

Binding Priority (The Absolute Linker Rule): If the particle to (or ă) appears immediately after a Relational Phrase (izo X, sè Y), it is ALWAYS interpreted as a Linker connecting that phrase to the following noun.

  • Consequence: You cannot place a Marked Subject (to Subject) immediately after an Oblique Argument (ni Location) without a pause, because the grammar will try to fuse them.

B. Disambiguation via Pause (The Comma Rule)

To break the “Absolute Linker” bond and treat the to as a Subject Marker, the speaker must use a Pause (Comma).

Minimal Pair Comparison:

1. The Linker (No Pause)

Tom izo sháŕo to Mary ijo. Tom [from pool LINK Mary] see “Tom sees [the Mary from the pool].”

  • Analysis: to fuses “from pool” and “Mary” into one object. Tom is the Subject.

2. The Subject Marker (With Pause)

Izo sháŕo, to Mary Tom ijo. from pool, SUBJ Mary Tom see “From the pool, Mary sees Tom.”

  • Analysis: The comma breaks the link. to marks Mary as Subject. “From the pool” acts as an adverb describing the location of the seeing.

3. The Fronted Object (With Pause)

Tom izo sháŕo, to Mary ijo. Tom from pool, SUBJ Mary see “Mary sees Tom from the pool.”

  • Analysis: Tom is the Object (fronted). to Mary is the Subject (Emphasized).
  • Nuance: The speaker is pointing out that it is SPECIFICALLY Mary who is seeing, differentiating her from Tom or others.>

C. Dropping the Subject Marker (Linker Persistence)

If the Subject of the sentence is a Complex Noun Phrase (using a Linker), the initial Subject Marker (to at the very start) can be dropped for efficiency, but the Linker (to inside the phrase) must remain to connect the pieces.

  • Full Form: To [Sè John] to [shěso]... (“The book of John…”).
  • Dropped Form: [Sè John] to [shěso]... (“John’s book…”).

Example 1 (Object with Linker, Subject Unmarked):

Wo [bă shosa zèxaśù] to Tom ijo. 1SG [via road ran] LINK Tom see “I see Tom, who ran down the road.”

  • Analysis: Wo is the Subject (No marker). to acts solely as the link between the clause and Tom.

Example 2 (Subject with Linker, Marker Dropped):

[Sè ijoŕo] ă [Tom] zèxoxo. [of dream] LINK(Subj) [Tom] PAST-depart “The Tom of the dream departed.”

  • Analysis: The initial Ă (Subject Marker) is omitted. The internal ă remains to define the “Dream-Tom” relationship.

2. The Comparative Block (Correlative Syntax)

When comparing two nouns, Asaxi creates a Correlative Block. This entire block functions syntactically as a Single Argument (Subject or Object).

Formula:

[Marker] [Noun A] + [Complement] [Noun B]

MarkerComplementLogic
bi (Equal)záEqual A with B
nani (More)izoUp A from B
pùni (Less)izoDown A from B
Example (As Subject):

[Nani John izo Tom] apa dănă chỏnů. [More John than Tom] apples heavily eats “John eats apples more heavily than Tom.”

3. The Verbal Complex (Morpho-Syntax)

The Verb is the gravitational center of the sentence. It builds outwards from the root using a fixed order of prefixes (Morphology) and is followed by a “Tail” of particles (Syntax).

A. The Prefix Block (Left-Branching)

Modifiers stack from the outside in. The outermost prefix has the widest scope.

Formula:

[Tense] + [Negation] + [Aspect] + [Voice/Mood] + [Bridge] + [Root]

Logical Example: The Progress Report

Context: A teacher is reporting on a lazy student. You want to say: “By noon, he will not have even started trying to read.”

The Stack:

  1. Tense (Future Perfect): pazè- (Will have).
  2. Polarity (Negation): ná (Not).
  3. Aspect (Inceptive): ni- (Start to).
  4. Mood (Conative): xè- (Try to).
  5. Root: shěsonů (Read).

The Resulting Verb:

pazènánixèshěsonů FUT-PAST NEG START TRY read

The Sentence:

Månixåkam xő pazènánixèshěsonů. “By the time, he will not have started trying to read.”

B. The Post-Verbal Tail (Right-Branching)

This is the only part of the language that branches Right. It handles the Consequences (Cessation) and the Meta-Data (Questions, Emotions, Logic).

Formula:

[Verb] + (Cessative) + (Question) + (Discourse) + (Connector)

Logical Example: The Clarification

Context: Two people are watching John. He puts his book down. One person asks if he stopped, but then notices he picks it up again.

The Sentence:

Shěsonů tomo kè ë dzè… read STOP QUES RIGHT BUT…

Breakdown:

  1. Shěsonů: The Action (Reading).
  2. tomo: The Result (Stop). “He stops reading.”
  3. kè: The Inquiry. “Does he stop reading?”
  4. ë: The Appeal for Agreement. “He stops reading, right?”
  5. dzè: The Adversative Switch. “He stops reading, right? But…“

4. The Sentence Structure (Macro-Syntax)

The core sentence follows SOV, but includes specific slots for Floating Modifiers and Adverbs.

Standard Order:

[Time/Place] + [Subject] + [Frequency] + [Object] + [Manner] + [Verb Complex] + [Tail]

SlotContentExample
1. SettingLocativeVashěsokam, (In the library,)
2. SubjectNoun Phraseto wo (I)
3. FrequencyTime Adverbximă (daily)
4. ObjectNoun Phraseshěso (the book)
5. MannerQuality Adverbgadăchỏnă (ravenously)
6. VerbPredicateshěsonů (read)
7. TailConnectorŕa… (and…)
Full Sentence:

Vashěsokam, to wo ximă shěso gadăchỏnă shěsonů ŕa… in-library SUBJ 1SG daily book ravenously read AND “In the library, I daily read the book ravenously, and…”

Ambiguity Resolution (Pro-drop Contexts)

When pronouns are dropped, Asaxi relies on Strict Position.

  • Rule: The First Unmarked Noun is the Subject. The Second Unmarked Noun is the Object.
  • Relative Clause Check: If a verb is followed immediately by a Determiner/Noun, it is a Relative Clause, not the Main Verb.

Example:

Onýj [zètopu] shěsa toponů. DEF [PAST-drop] books raining/falling Analysis: Zètopu is inside the phrase started by Onýj, so it is a modifier. Toponů is the main verb. Meaning: “The books that were dropped are falling.”

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