Questions tagged [syntax]
For questions about the structure and formation of sentences in languages.
35 questions
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What is a "Trigger Language"?
About 30 years ago, there was some talk about "Trigger languages" on conlang-l. The term seems to relate to Austronesian languages like Tagalog and to the exploration of unusual (in terms of ...
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Transformed vs. untransformed objects
I had an idea to spice up the core argument cases in one of my languages: what if there were separate object cases for an object that undergoes a change of state, vs. an object that does not?
By this ...
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How can my SOV conlang handle quotations?
In English, a way to express what someone is saying is usually done by putting what the character said in quotes, and place 'x said' either before or after the phrase:
Bob said, 'Bill took my fishing ...
user8069
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Tips for making a conlang that uses an abjad?
I've been looking at Classical Hebrew a lot for inspiration on some features it has. Turns out, it wasn't what I expected (such as that its not actually a VSO language, it just looks like that due to ...
user6046
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Question on if I am doing Split-Ergativity right
I am making a split ergative language, and I am struggling a lot on it.
So, I am doing a Dyirbal-type pronominal split, where 1st and 2nd person are nominative-accusative and everything else is ...
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Is There an Optimal Order for Addressing Phonetics, Morphology, Syntax, Semantics, and Pragmatics?
I am about to create a constructed language. Is it acceptable if I follow the levels of language in the given order: phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics? Or do I need to do ...
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Subordinate Clauses In OSV
So, I'm working on my very first conlang, which happens to be OSV (object-subject-verb word order). But I seem to have run into something of a roadblock. How could I handle clauses such as, for ...
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Can core argument markers swap roles? If so, how?
I have been trying for some time to figure out how to smoosh a bunch of my originally-unrelated languages into a larger family. They have a fair amount of noun and verb morphology that was ...
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Does the grammatical and polysynthetic structure of my language preclude poetry?
My conlang, called Pandemonic for now, is a language with OSV word order, that uses synthetic prefixes and postfixes to both nouns and verbs. Only adjectives and adverbs, which always follow the word ...
- 153
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Analyzing word order when the person-conjugation leads verb phrases
Suppose person-conjugation leads the verb phrase and (if the subject is clear or is not the focus) the verb phrase may often come before any lexical subject, too. Although this puts the subject ...
- 1,468
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Specificities of VSO languages and common ones with SVO languages
I'm currently working on a VSO language and syntax is the next big step to tackle. However, I find it quite hard to find ressources on VSO languages and thought I could glean some informations quickly ...
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What is the relationship between order of object and verb and the position of adverbs?
I've been researching ways to make conlangs more naturalistic. So far, sources such as WALS and a linguist YouTuber Colin Gorrie have stated the relationship between object-verb order and adjective-...
user4976
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Is placing the preposition before the verb natural?
Disclamer: I have a very limited knowledge about linguistics, so the things I'm talking might be completely nonsense.
In German we can form new verbs by attaching prepositions (?) to it:
schlagen → ...
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How can I make complex relative clauses?
I can make simple relative clauses that share arguments just fine, but I struggle with certain clauses.
Take the following English sentences:
Someone killed* a person*
I hated the killing*.
You saw a ...
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What are some different ways to use applicatives?
I'm most familiar with "applicative" meaning a specific way of rearranging the arguments of a verb. For example, the -el- suffix in Lingála adds a direct object to a verb, the person who ...
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