Anbirese/Syntax

Constituent order

The overall syntax of Anbirese/Syntax resembles that of Irish but with more flexibility.

Anbirese/Syntax is almost completely head-initial, except for compound words which are head-final. The constituent order is VSO. Background information (usually in the order time-manner-place) and question words may be placed before the verb (unlike in Irish), after the subject, or after the direct object. However, no constituent may come between the verb and the subject.

Tiann h-aeillirne múnna?
/ˈtiən ˈh‿eːʀəlnə mʉːnə/
why love-PRES.2SG-EMPH ACC-1SG
Why do *you* love *me*?

Noun phrase

Adjectives

Adjectives always follow their head nouns.

Possessive noun phrases

In possessive noun phrases the possessed noun uses the construct form, and the possessor (indefinite or definite) is placed after it. For pronominal possessors, the disjunctive pronoun is used.

Verb phrase

Negation

• interrogative: is-L
• negative: ní

Sentence phrase

Predicate nouns and adjectives

Anbirese/Syntax is zero-copula, like Hebrew. A predicate adjective is placed before the subject, and the pronoun is used. On the other hand, a predicate noun has the "logical subject" placed after the preposition de, d'-.

Zodhma de chathar.

A flower is a plant. (lit. A plant is in a flower.)

Zodhma diú.

It's a plant. (lit. A plant is in it.)

For definite nouns as subjects, the pronoun is not mandatory:

Árd (hí) an gcamhna.

The woman is tall.

Árd hí.

She is tall.

Conjunctions

• ar: 'and'
• lú: 'or'
• ach: 'but'
• ri-N: 'that (relative clause)'
• na : 'that (complement clause)'
• fódh-N: 'because'
• dri-L: 'when, if'

Dependent clauses

Relative clauses

The relativizer is li^N (negative líd). A resumptive pronoun may be used when the head is not the subject of the relative clause, and is mandatory when the head is a prepositional object or a possessor.

Verbs in relative clauses may be placed anywhere within the relative clause, subject to the constraint that the verb and (syntactic) subject may not be separated unless the subject of the relative clause is the head. If the subject is the head, the relativizer li may be omitted, however in that case the verb must immediately follow the head.

Nominalized relative clauses use nuol li... 'those who...'

nuol li míwóhedh ú

'those who misuse it'

Time clauses

There are two ways of forming time clauses.

Infinitive clauses

Infinitive clauses work like German zu-infinitive clauses in that they are verb-final: the infinitive is used at the end, and the particle le-h /ʟə/ ('to') is used before the infinitive.

Ní róscall fách ná, s'a shuar ríosan le fhlunnach.

I was unable to return to my house.