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to (Relational Particle) - subject marker

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to (Relational Particle)

to

Grammatical function

  • Particle type: Relational Particle (NPCP)
  • Function: Nominative Case Marker (Subject Marker)
  • Meaning: Marks the preceding noun phrase as the Subject.

Usage Notes (Registers)

The particle changes form to indicate the speaker’s attitude or the specific focus of the sentence.

1. Standard (to)

  • IPA: /t̪o/
  • Usage: Default, objective statement of the actor.

2. Subjective / Internal (ă)

  • IPA: /aɪ/ (Based on ă = /aɪ/)
  • Usage: Used for internal monologues, deep emotions, or subjective impressions (Epistemic states). It marks the subject as “felt” rather than “observed.”
  • Structure: ă [Subject] (or ă- when fused in Epistemic blocks).
  • Example: Ă wo… (“I [feel/internally]…”).

3. Pompous (oto)

  • IPA: /ot̪o/
  • Usage: Formal, grandiloquent, self-important.

4. Explanatory (otto)

  • IPA: /ot̪ːo/ (Geminated dental plosive)
  • Usage: Focus/Correction. “It is this one.”

Omission: In standard speech, to may be omitted if the Subject is the first noun in the sentence and the context is unambiguous. It is required when the Subject follows the Object or for emphasis.

Example sentence

Standard Transitive: To wo shěso zèshěsonů. I read the book.

Explanatory (Correction): Otto wo shěso zèshěsonů. It is I (not him) who read the book.

Pompous (Grandiloquent): Oto wo… it is I, (the great, glorious, grand, genial, gallant, gracious, gargantuan, gutsy one)…

Alternate Forms

  • ă - Subjective Subject Marker (Internal/Emotional).

Antonyms

Null

Derived terms

  • toga (When fused with the [[ga (Fusing Particle)|Attributive particle ga]] in an Agglutinative Block).

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