Ts'íts'àsh Grammar

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Ts'íts'àsh is a mainly analytic language. The word order is subject-object-verb (SOV).

Nouns

Ts'íts'àsh features an agency distinction which is present on all arguments of a verb phrase, in that a more active subject is marked differently from a less active one. Direct objects are also marked differently depending on this. The subject and direct object are marked with postpositions, as seen in the following examples.

More active subject

A more active subject is marked with the postposition ts', with the direct object being marked with the postpostion sh in that case:

Íkì ts' úbà sh ók'.

"The girl hugs the boy."

Less active subject

A less active subject is marked with the postposition sh, and the direct object is then marked with the postposition ì, as seen in the example below:

ĺkì sh úbà ì bái.

"The girl sees the boy."

Verbs

Verbs have three different forms: imperfect, perfect, and conditional.

Imperfect

The imperfect is the basic form of the verb. It is used to indicate incomplete actions, such as àsh [aʃ˩] "is speaking".

Perfect

The perfect describes completed actions, for example àshksh [aʃ˩.kʃ] "spoke".

Conditional

The conditional denotes hypothetical occurences, as in àshá [a˩.ʃa˥] "may speak"