Syntax
Word order
Mundeze is an accusative head-final language which constituent order is SVO (Subject-Verb-Object), but it is possible to use the OSV order.
It is of course possible to place the indirect objet and compound prepositions anywhere in the sentence.
Examples
- kenji lovi djemila (SVO) = Kenji loves Djemila
- djemila kenji lovi (OSV) = Djemila Kenji loves = Kenji loves Djemila
- lo peli na loa mape = She speaks to her mother
- lo na loa mape peli = She to her mother speaks = She speaks to her mother
- peli lo na loa mape = Speaks she to her mother = She speaks to her mother
- peli na loa mape lo = Speaks to her mother she = She speaks to her mother
- na loa mape lo peli = To her mother she speaks = She speaks to her mother
- na loa mape peli lo = To her mother speaks she = She speaks to her mother
There are mandatory rules and advised usages :
- Prepositions are always placed before their complement.
- Conjunctions are always placed before the connected clause.
- The adjective (or adjectival group) generally precedes the determined noun, but we can place it just after as long as it isn’t followed by another noun. The attributive adjective is placed after the verb.
- The adverb (or adverbial group) generally precedes the determined part of speech.
Grammatical cases
These restrictions in word order eliminates the need of an accusative case, making nominative the only grammatical case of Mundeze. The others cases are expressed by prepositions.
The preposition “na” (to, towards, in destination of), for example, is used in particular to indicate a change of location, before another preposition that do not specify it (ex: in, on, under…), or after a verb that doesn’t necessarily imply a change of location.
Example
myawe salti sop gofile = The cat jumps on the bed.
myawe salti na sop gofile = The cat jumps onto the bed.
Elliptical construction
Mundeze could be spoken with ellipsis. That means that parts of the sentence may be omitted, if the context is clear.
Example
me siki das me jo senisi mea myawe (I am sad because i’ve lost my cat) ➜ siki das senisi myawe (be sad because lose cat)
That’s how the verb “be” will be very often implied.
Example
kie tie? = What that? (What is that?)
tie buke = That book (That is a book)
Completive subordinate clause
– The completive subordinate clause is simply placed after the previous proposal, but it is possible to use optionally the subordinating conjunction ti.
me meni tu reki (I think you’re right) = me meni ti tu reki (I think that you’re right)