THE ORDER OF THE SENTENCE
The paradigmatic order in Symbaian is:
CErg-S[1]/(O)SP-Adj./<Sub. Sentence> [Adv.]-V-(Neg.)* CI/[Ben.]/[Dt.]
*The negation adverb bák is used only with realis moods. In the irrealis moods, the adverb bakái must be used for negation.
[1] In ergative languages, the subject is patient, which is identified with the direct object of accusative languages, while the agent is the object in ergative.
NOMINAL SYNTAGME
The paradigmatic order, and the most grammatical, is:
IC-<Rel>-Core-DC
ζyrά giltýrtas gérkα tórαs(“the good dog of the house, who runs”)
[ζyrά]IC<giltýrtas>[gérkα] Core [tórα]DC
Substantivated genitive: if the core is elided in an NS with a complement in genitive, it can take the endings of the core, substantive it, which allows them to be declined. This can occur either a) with a direct complement in genitive, b) with a relative or c) a pronoun in genitive. All three can also function as adjectives. d) This procedure can also be carried out with infinitives, adhering to it the endings of the neuter.
a) ζyrά gérkα (“the dog of the house”).
ζyrά (“the ones of the house l de la casa”).
gérkα ζyrά (“the dog of the house”).
gérkαr ζyrάr tárzañ elatágira (“the dog of the house eats meat”).
b) giltýrtas gérkα (“the dog that runs”).
giltyrtásα (“the ones that runs”).
gérkα giltýrtasα (“the dog that runs”).
gérkαr giltýrtasαr tárzañ elatágira (“the dog that runs eats meat”).
c) ón gérkα (“my dog”).
ónα (“mine”).
gérkα ónα (“the dog mine”).
gérkαr ónαr tárzañ elatágira (“the dog mine eats meat”).
d) elagísamo (“eating”).
elagisámω (“eating”).
tárzañ elagisámω (“eating meat”).
elagisamἡ xólω (“the way meat is eaten”).
elagirἡ xólω (“the way to eat meat”).
POSTPOSITIONAL SYNTAGME
The order of the postpositional syntagme is
[Term] Postp.
gradariéktαζ řax (“across the seas”)
[gradariéktαζ]Term řax
PROPOSITIONS
Independents
The coordinating conjunction is located after the core of the second term. b) If both coordinates are a noun syntagme and the core is in the same case, the core of the first term can elide its declension.
In the case of coordination with pa (which is postclitic) c) if more than two elements are coordinated, the third coordination will be closed with pat. d) When there are four coordinates, the pa is placed before the second core and the pat before the fourth. d) In subordinate clauses, when the main verbal cores within it agree, the mark is moved back one core. e) This also happens with the conjunction zok, zot.
a) gérkα seráα pa (“the dog and the cat”)
b) gérkα seráα pa φnηzrάs (“the dog, the cat ant the bird”)
c) gérkα seráα pa φnήzrα katoα pat (“the dog, the cat, the bird and the fish”).
d) giltýrtas pa elatágiras gérkα (“the dog that runs and eats”).
giltýrtas pa elatágiras pat gařátagis gérkα (“the dog that walks, eats and barks”).
e) gérkα seráα zot φnήzrα katoα zok (“or the dog, or the cat, or the bird or the fish”).
Subordinates
Subordination in Symbaian can be introduced in two ways: syntactically, a) through a conjunction, or b) morphologically, through a subordinating suffix in the verbal core. In the case of the syntactic form, the conjunction or adverb usually comes after the first element of the subordinate clause.
gérkαr tárzañ elatáberat (“because the dog ate meat”)
gérkαr kónme tárzañ elatábera (“because the dog ate meat”)
Completives
For the completives there are two suffixes: a) one for the completives of the absolutive subject and appositions of the subject (-n) and b) another for the complement of the ergative (-k). These agree with the neutral. If the subject of the absolutive is from a verb of volition, doubt, question, the verb of the subordinate will be in the subjunctive. If it is a real proposition, it will be in the indicative. Completives can also be constructed with an infinitive. These can be done both c) with these endings and b) with substantive infinitives.
a) gérkαr tárzañ elatáberan kotóř (“I said the dog ate meat”)
b) gérkαr tárzañ elatáberak yφzárbero (“I was surprised that the dog ate meat”)
c) gérkαr tárzañ elagísamen nyrtóř (“I want the dog to eat meat”)
gérkαr tárzañ elagísañk yφzárgiro (“that the dog eats meat surprises me”)
d) gérkαr tárzañ elagisámω nyrtóř (“I want the dog to eat meat”)
gérkαr tárzañ elagisámωr yφzárgiro (“that the dog eats meat surprises me”)
Relatives
Relatives can be formed in two ways. a) Only with the subordinating suffix or b) with a relative pronoun, together with the subordinating suffix. In the first case, most of the time, the pronoun is unnecessary when in the relative it fulfills the function of subject or ergative or indirect complement, since the agreement with the antecedent can be seen in the verb.
gérkαr elatáberas tárzα (“The meat that the dog ate”).
gérkαr má elatáberas tárzα (“The meat that the dog ate”).
The endings and subordinating conjunctions are:
Of relatives, -(a)s[1]
Of causal adverbial, -(a)t[2] and kónme
Of modal adverbial, -(a)v[3]
Of conditional adverbial, -(i)l[4] and lýme
Of concessive adverbial, -(a)dé and týme
Of final adverbial, -(a)x[5]
Of posterior temporal adverbial (of the main, “before x”), -(a)tzi
Of anterior temporal adverbial (of the main, “after x”), -(a)k[6]
Of temporal adverbial simultaneous (of the main), -(a)n[7]
Of temporal adverbial ablative (“since”), -dý
Of temporal adverbial terminative (“until”), -(a)kt[8][9]
Of subject completive, subjective predicative or appositional, -(a)n[10]
Of completive of ergative, predicative of ergative or appositional, -(a)k[11]
Of subject completive with “if” [12], ylôys
Particle of partial interrogatives, nyn[13]
Particle of total interrogatives, nak[14]
[1] The epenthesis in Thargathian -s(a)
[2] The epenthesis in Thargathian -t(a)
[3] The epenthesis in Thargathian -v(a)
[4] The epenthesis in Thargathian -v(i)
[5] The epenthesis in Thargathian -x(a)
[6] The epenthesis in Thargathian -k(a)
[7] The epenthesis in Thargathian -n(a)
[8] The epenthesis in Thargathian -kt(a)
[9] The nuclear verb of ablative and terminative temporal adverbials will always be oxytone.
[10] The epenthesis in Thargathian -n(a)
[11] The epenthesis in Thargathian -k(a)
[12] The conjunction ylóys is equivalent to the “if” of the completives: “I would like to know if…” It is placed before the nuclear verb, with a relative (not after it so as not to clash with the coordinating conjunctions).
[13] It is enclitic and has a partitive value: for example: gádax nyn (ezté) (“What person was it?” or “Who was it?”)
[14] It is postverbal enclitic and comes before the conjunction pa or the adverb bák.
ANTI-PASSIVE VOICE AND PASSIVE VOICE
Symbaian is an ergative language, so the inverse voice that is historically characteristic of it is the antipassive, in which the agentive subject is in the absolutive. This can be constructed in three ways: b) through a morphologically inflected verb in an antipassive voice, c) with an antipassive participle or d) with a periphrasis of a copulative and an antipassive participle. The passive complement is marked with instrumental.
a) gérkαr tárzañ elatágira (“The dog eats meat”)
b) gérkα elatá tárzat (“the dog is the meat eater”)
c) gérkα tárzat elapékα eitá (“the dog is the meat eater”)
d) gérkα tárzat elapékα (“the dog is the meat eater”)
Due to the influence of Tharcaian, which is an accusative language, the Thargathian dialect, close to the border with Tharcay, has developed a passive structure, which is constructed with the 'active' participle and an agent complement, introduced by the postposition ys (from the Tharcaian preposition us). b) When is an agent complement, the postposition governs the genitive case. c) When it is a complement of cause, it rules ablative.
a) tárzα gérkα ys elagipémα eitá (“the meat is eaten by the dog”)
b) tárzα gérkα ys elagipémα (“the meat is eaten by the dog”)
c) tárzα drómαζ ys fernagipémα eitá (“the meat is burned by fire”)