Proto-Almaic/Test Sentences

1-25

The sun shines.

sun(FOC) shines

shines sun

Both sentences are valid depending on the pragmatic intentions of the speaker. If the speaker is changing subjects, introducing new or unexpected information, or if they simply wish to draw attention to the subject, then it would be fronted before the verb. A more neutral construction is likely to place all actors after the verb. Also note that "sun" is not marked for definiteness.

The sun is shining.

shine stands sun

Proto-Alamic uses auxiliary verbs to mark certain aspects and tenses, in this case the verb for "to stand" can take on an auxiliary role to mark the progressive aspect.

The sun shone.

shine-PST sun

Certain tenses like the past tense can just be marked by a suffix.

The sun will shine.

shine needs sun

Other tenses, like the future tense, have no dedicated suffix and must rely on the use of an auxiliary verb, in this case the verb for "to need".

The sun has been shining.

shine stands sun

*shine stands stands.PST sun

Proto-Almaic has no dedicated construction to express the present perfect progressive. A dialectal, non-standard alternative is presented in the second sentence.

The sun is shining again.

shine again stands sun

The sun will shine tomorrow.

shine tomorrow needs sun

The sun shines brightly.

shine brightly sun

The sun is rising now.

rise now stands sun

Adverbs normally go immediately after the main verb, before auxiliares, if any are present.

The bright sun shines.

shine sun bright

Adjectives, like adverbs, go directly after the head that they modify

All the people shouted.

shout-PST all people

Some of the people shouted.

shout-PST some people

Many of the people shouted twice.

shout-PST twice some people

Determiners and numerals are normally found before the noun they modify

Happy people often shout.

shout often people happy

tend_to_do people happy shout

Unlike English, there is only one possible location for adverbs of frequency, as such the nuance of the chosen word order is lost. The second sentence is an altenative, more faithful but direct translation, it uses a serial verb construction to preserve the subject.

The kitten jumped up.

to jump-PST kitten above

The kitten jumped onto the table.

to jump-PST kitten on table

Preverbal adpositions are a common valency increasing strategy, normally used to promote the oblique object of an intransitive verb.

My little kitten walked away.

from go kitten little mine from

A particular construction result of such strategies is the repetition of the adposition as the object of the sentence, to indicate reflexivity. In this case, the sentence can be understood as "my little kitten wlaked away (from itself/where it was)"

It's working.

work stands

It's raining.

*rain stands

from rain stands from

Proto-Almaic allows the use of avalent verbs. However, weather expressions in particular tend to be rendered through preverbal adpositions and self-reference.

The rain came down.

from come rain above

An non-idiomatic translation using principles previously explained.

The kitten is playing in the rain.

play stands kitten under rain

Since the verb for play is a transitive verb taking a subject and a game, it cannot make use of preverbal adpositions to take a location, instead, a prepositional phrase must be used.

The rain has stopped.

stop-PST rain

As previously stated, Proto-Almaic has no dedicated constructions for perfect aspects. In their place, the simple past is used.

Soon the rain will stop.

stop soon needs rain.

No new insights gained from this expression

I hope the rain stops soon.

hope I stops soon rain

Verbs can easily be chained to form complex expressions.

Once wild animals lived here.

live-PST once here animals wild

Slowly she looked around.

*look slowly around she

to look she surroundings hers

Consecutive adverbs follow an order of time - manner - place. In the second example, the sentence is translated that way to illustrate the proper order, the proper translation for the sentence is shown afterwards.

26-50

Go away!

go you

Let's go!

go we

You should go.

I will be happy to go.

COP needs I happy go

He will arrive soon.

The baby's ball has rolled away.

The two boys are working together.

This mist will probably clear away.

Lovely flowers are growing everywhere.

We should eat more slowly.

You have come too soon.

You must write more neatly.

Directly opposite stands a wonderful palace.

Henry's dog is lost.

My cat is black.

The little girl's doll is broken.

I usually sleep soundly.

The children ran after Jack.

I can play after school.

We went to the village for a visit.

We arrived at the river.

I have been waiting for you.

The campers sat around the fire.

A little girl with a kitten sat near me.

The child waited at the door for her father.

51-100

1. Yesterday the oldest girl in the village lost her kitten.
2. Were you born in this village?
3. Can your brother dance well?
4. Did the man leave?
5. Is your sister coming for you?
6. Can you come tomorrow?
7. Have the neighbors gone away for the winter?
8. Does the robin sing in the rain?
9. Are you going with us to the concert?
10. Have you ever travelled in the jungle?
11. We sailed down the river for several miles.
12. Everybody knows about hunting.
13. On a Sunny morning after the solstice we started for the mountains.
14. Tom laughed at the monkey's tricks.
15. An old man with a walking stick stood beside the fence.
16. The squirrel's nest was hidden by drooping boughs.
17. The little seeds waited patiently under the snow for the warm spring sun.
18. Many little girls with wreaths of flowers on their heads danced around the bonfire.
19. The cover of the basket fell to the floor.
20. The first boy in the line stopped at the entrance.
21. On the top of the hill in a little hut lived a wise old woman.
22. During our residence in the country we often walked in the pastures.
23. When will your guests from the city arrive?
24. Near the mouth of the river, its course turns sharply towards the East.
25. Between the two lofty mountains lay a fertile valley.
26. Among the wheat grew tall red poppies.
27. The strong roots of the oak trees were torn from the ground.
28. The sun looked down through the branches upon the children at play.
29. The west wind blew across my face like a friendly caress.
30. The spool of thread rolled across the floor.
31. A box of growing plants stood in the Window.
32. I am very happy.
33. These oranges are juicy.
34. Sea water is salty.
35. The streets are full of people.
36. Sugar tastes sweet.
37. The fire feels hot.
38. The little girl seemed lonely.
39. The little boy's father had once been a sailor.
40. I have lost my blanket.
41. A robin has built his nest in the apple tree.
42. At noon we ate our lunch by the roadside.
43. Mr. Jones made a knife for his little boy.
44. Their voices sound very happy.
45. Is today Monday?
46. Have all the leaves fallen from the tree?
47. Will you be ready on time?
48. Will you send this message for me?
49. Are you waiting for me?
50. Is this the first kitten of the litter?

101-150

1. Are these shoes too big for you?
2. How wide is the River?
3. Listen.
4. Sit here by me.
5. Keep this secret until tomorrow.
6. Come with us.
7. Bring your friends with you.
8. Be careful.
9. Have some tea.
10. Pip and his dog were great friends.
11. John and Elizabeth are brother and sister.
12. You and I will go together.
13. They opened all the doors and windows.
14. He is small, but strong.
15. Is this tree an oak or a maple?
16. Does the sky look blue or gray?
17. Come with your father or mother.
18. I am tired, but very happy.
19. He played a tune on his wonderful flute.
20. Toward the end of August the days grow much shorter.
21. A company of soldiers marched over the hill and across the meadow.
22. The first part of the story is very interesting.
23. The crow dropped some pebbles into the pitcher and raised the water to the brim.
24. The baby clapped her hands and laughed in glee.
25. Stop your game and be quiet.
26. The sound of the drums grew louder and louder.
27. Do you like summer or winter better?
28. That boy will have a wonderful trip.
29. They popped corn, and then sat around the fire and ate it.
30. They won the first two games, but lost the last one.
31. Take this note, carry it to your mother; and wait for an answer.
32. I awoke early, dressed hastily, and went down to breakfast.
33. Aha! I have caught you!
34. This string is too short!
35. Oh, dear! the wind has blown my hat away!
36. Alas! that news is sad indeed!
37. Whew! that cold wind freezes my nose!
38. Are you warm enough now?
39. They heard the warning too late.
40. We are a brave people, and love our country.
41. All the children came except Mary.
42. Jack seized a handful of pebbles and threw them into the lake.
43. This cottage stood on a low hill, at some distance from the village.
44. On a fine summer evening, the two old people were sitting outside the door of their cottage.
45. Our bird's name is Jacko.
46. The river knows the way to the sea.
47. The boat sails away, like a bird on the wing.
48. They looked cautiously about, but saw nothing.
49. The little house had three rooms, a sitting room, a bedroom, and a tiny kitchen.
50. We visited my uncle's village, the largest village in the world.

151-200

1. We learn something new each day.
2. The market begins five minutes earlier this week.
3. Did you find the distance too great?
4. Hurry, children.
5. Madam, I will obey your command.
6. Here under this tree they gave their guests a splendid feast.
7. In winter I get up at night, and dress by yellow candlelight.
8. Tell the last part of that story again.
9. Be quick or you will be too late.
10. Will you go with us or wait here?
11. She was always, shabby, often ragged, and on cold days very uncomfortable.
12. Think first and then act.
13. I stood, a little mite of a girl, upon a chair by the window, and watched the falling snowflakes.
14. Show the guests these shells, my son, and tell them their strange history.
15. Be satisfied with nothing but your best.
16. We consider them our faithful friends.
17. We will make this place our home.
18. The squirrels make their nests warm and snug with soft moss and leaves.
19. The little girl made the doll's dress herself.
20. I hurt myself.
21. She was talking to herself.
22. He proved himself trustworthy.
23. We could see ourselves in the water.
24. Do it yourself.
25. I feel ashamed of myself.
26. Sit here by yourself.
27. The dress of the little princess was embroidered with roses, the national flower of the Country.
28. They wore red caps, the symbol of liberty.
29. With him as our protector, we fear no danger.
30. All her finery, lace, ribbons, and feathers, was packed away in a trunk.
31. Light he thought her, like a feather.
32. Every spring and fall our cousins pay us a long visit.
33. In our climate the grass remains green all winter.
34. The boy who brought the book has gone.
35. These are the flowers that you ordered.
36. I have lost the book that you gave me.
37. The fisherman who owned the boat now demanded payment.
38. Come when you are called.
39. I shall stay at home if it rains.
40. When he saw me, he stopped.
41. Do not laugh at me because I seem so absent minded.
42. I shall lend you the books that you need.
43. Come early next Monday if you can.
44. If you come early, wait in the hall.
45. I had a younger brother whose name was Antonio.
46. Gnomes are little men who live under the ground.
47. He is loved by everybody, because he has a gentle disposition.
48. Hold the horse while I run and get my cap.
49. I have found the ring I lost.
50. Play and I will sing.

201-218

1. That is the funniest story I ever heard.
2. She is taller than her brother.
3. They are no wiser than we.
4. Light travels faster than sound.
5. We have more time than they.
6. She has more friends than enemies.
7. He was very poor, and with his wife and five children lived in a little low cabin of logs and stones.
8. When the wind blew, the traveler wrapped his mantle more closely around him.
9. I am sure that we can go.
10. We went back to the place where we saw the roses.
11. "This tree is fifty feet high," said the gardener.
12. I think that this train leaves five minutes earlier today.
13. My opinion is that the governor will grant him a pardon.
14. Why he has left the city is a mystery.
15. The house stands where three roads meet.
16. He has far more money than brains.
17. Evidently that gate is never opened, for the long grass and the great hemlocks grow close against it.
18. I met a little cottage girl; she was eight years old, she said.