copyright © 2005-2006 Dennis Paul Himes
The contents of this page are preliminary. They won't become canonical until the first version of the Tale of Tifa Walbatnuwa Siina is up. - DPH
Like most highly inflected languages, word order is loose in Seezzitonian. However, the default order for a sentence is SVO (subject / verb / object). Seezzitonian is generally head-initial. Modifying nouns generally follow the nouns or verbs they modify.
Although there is a relative pronoun, lulu, if that pronoun would be a dependent clause's subject it is generally dropped. So "I see the man who threw the spear" could be Uzzddapo aj lajla pusisa ufijis (See-PRES-IND-1XS man-ACC-PRES-IND who-M-ACC-M-NOM throw-PAST-IND-3MS spear-ACC-PAST-IND), but probably would be Uzzddapo aj pusisa ufijis (See-PRES-IND-1XS man-ACC-PRES-IND throw-PAST-IND-3MS spear-ACC-PAST-IND).
When asking for information the interrogative pronoun beu is used in place of the noun. "Who came?" is Bit feemeesisit? When asking for specification beu is used in apposition. "Which fisherman came?" is Aufxa beba feemeesisa?. "Where" is pobo, although the positional form of beu, bo is often used instead. "When" is bezbit. When asking if a verb is correct, the prefix be-, beb- is used. "Did he come?" is Befeemeesisa?.
Seezzitonian distinguishes between comparing something with something else and comparing something with itself (at different times, for instance). The former is indicated by the prefix ya, y(s) (where (s) indicates strengthening). The latter is indicated by the prefix ttaba, ttab.
When comparing one noun to another the second is put into the associative case. So "The girl is taller than the boy." is Dadu yayolu dadam.
When comparing something at one time to itself at another time the other time is put into the associative case. So "the girl is taller than she used to be." is Dadu ttabayolu siseem (sisee is "the past").
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