Constituent Order
The basic word order in Aldéril is:
(conj) (truth) dis s v o x
where,
- conj is a conjunction (optional)
- truth is a truth condition particle (optional)
- dis is a topicalizing or focalizing discursive element (almost always present)
The topicalizing or focalizing element is not obligatory, but in practice occurs in almost every sentence within a larger discourse. When a topicalizing or focalizing element is present, the element that has been moved to the dis position will not be present at its usual place within the sentence. For example, if an object is focalized the word order would be: (conj) (truth) dis s v x.
Topic
In Aldéril the topic of the sentence is the thing being talked about. The topic may be explicitly marked by removing the element from earlier in the sentence and bringing it to the front of the sentence—after any conjunction or truth condition markers. The topic is marked with the clitic te in the second position in the phrase, taking its stress from the initial word of the phrase, and is used to identify an element that is already under discussion as a continuation of the discussion in the same vein. The particle te is also used without moving the element to the topical position to mark a proper noun. The topic of a sentence may be any word or phrase that is not in attributive position.
When a possessive adjective is topicalized, which may occur even when the possessive adjective is in the attributive position, the possessive adjective remains in its place in the sentence and the pronoun in the genitive case is added at the beginning of the sentence with the clitic topic marker.
Focus
In Aldéril the focus of the sentence is the new information. The focus may be explicitly marked by removing the element from later in the sentence and bringing it to the front of the sentence—after any conjunction or truth condition markers. The focus is marked with one of three clitics—no, la, or má—which are found in the seocnd position in the phrase, taking its stress from the initial word of the phrase. The focus of a sentence may be any word or phrase that is not in attributive position, and a sentence may nto have both a topic and a focus.
The clitic la is used to indicate completely new information. It is required in giving the answer to a content question. It is also used to bring up an entirely new line of discussion.
The clitic no is used for contrastive focus. This is most common in a statement correcting an earlier statement, but it may also be used to return to a previously abandoned topic. Generally, when no is used the focus has been referenced in the conversation already, but has not been the primary topic up to this point. A good translation of this word might be “but” to highlight the change of topic.
The clitic má marks negative focus. This is used when the speaker wishes to highlight some part of a negative sentence, typically to indicate why the sentence is unfactual or incorrect.
When a possessive adjective is focalized, which may occur even when the possessive adjective is in the attributive position, the possessive adjective remains in its place in the sentence and the pronoun in the genitive case is added at the beginning of the sentence with the clitic focus marker.
Truth Conditions
In Aldéril, there are a handful of words that are used to indicate the truth of the following sentence. These are somewhat akin to evidentials, but are not strictly required, and have a broader set of meanings. They come at the beginning of a sentence, only following a conjunction.
lú
lú, means “no” and is used as the negative for sentence level negation, but in general it can be understand as indicating that the following sentence or clause is false. It cna also be used with a single noun or noun phrase without a verb to indicate non-existence, i.e. “there is not…”
shú
shú, means “thus” and is used to indicate a strong emphasis on the truthfulness of the following sentence. It is also used with a noun or noun phrase to indicate existence, i.e. “there is…” or “here is…”