Xowʂiko syntax

Main article: Xowʂiko

This page gives an extensive description of Xowʂiko syntactical features.

Main clause and word order

Xowʂiko is an almost strictly SOV (Subject-Object-Verb) language.

hjyroli sopa ljyloç 
the man sees the dog

The quite rich case system allows every other possible word order, but most of them prove to be very marked and infrequently used. The only word order with a clear role and a frequent usage is OSV (Object-Subject-Verbs), which marks the so-called evidential construct.

sopa hjyroli ljyloç
it is the dog the man sees

The other elements in the sentence are usually placed in the order “place-manner-cause-time”, although they are basically freer than the main elements. An object in the dative case, when conveying the indirect object, tends to be placed after the direct object of the sentence.

A peculiar feature is the verbal infinitival agreement: when infinitival forms, as nominal forms of the verbs, take a direct object, are regarded as an expression of belonging, and the direct object is declined in the ablative case.

sopaʂu ljyloçika qjysoh
I do not see the dog.

Moreover, as it can been seen in the example above, when an infinitival form is governed by a modal verb or by the negative verb ʔī́sɑme, the infinitive is always placed before the conjugated modal form.

Nouns

The noun cluster is formed by a noun, carrying the main meaning, and by other noun-type forms, namely adjectives, which specify this meaning or add other meanings to the main noun. Inside of a noun cluster, the noun can be replaced by a pronoun.

The noun usually closes the noun cluster, being preceded by every other specifying form. Thus, other elements conveying possession and belonging are always placed before the noun, as well as every attributive adjective.

hjyrora sowoli
the man’s house

xokoli lilajli
my hand

xowpajli qownali 
the young woman

The role of the noun cluster in the sentence and its number are marked by case and number endings. These endings mark also other adjectival elements inside the noun cluster, resulting this in the process called nominal agreement.

Both attributive and predicative adjectives agree in case and number with the noun they specify. Other elements, which convey possession or belonging do not agree with the main nominal form.

xowpajli hjyroli sowoŕä qimjeŕ
the young man is going home

xowpajnoli qownanoli
the young women

qownanoli xowpajnoli qäɳon
the women are young

qownanoli ljyloçukino qäɳon
the women are seen

The agreement among nouns and adjectives is not a universal phenomenon. Indefinite adjectives, in the earlier period, may not agree with the nominal form, neither in case nor in number.

The grammar role of noun clusters can be further specified by prepositions, which are placed before the cluster. Thus, it can be stated that the noun cluster can be introduced by a preposition.

qujm sowoŕä qimjeŕoh
I am going inside the house

The cases

The grammatical role of the noun cluster in a sentence is conveyed by some endings. These endings are bound to grammatical cases, with usually well-defined roles.

The cases in Xowʂiko language are 9:

• Nominative
• Accusative
• Ablative
• Genitive
• Dative
• Causative
• Instrumental
• Abessive
• Locative

The grammatical roles and all possible differences in usage among similar cases are enlisted below: