9 - Syntax

Summary

Introduction

The unmarked order of constituents in a sentence is Subject–Object–Verb (SOV) in the Dravidian languages. A number of other features seem to flow from this dominant pattern: adjectives (including possessive nominals) precede noun heads, adverbs precede the verbs that they modify, complements precede the matrix clauses, auxiliaries follow the main verb, and postpositions rather than prepositions follow nominals. Dravidian languages have the nominative–accusative pattern with subject–predicate agreement, and not the absolutive–ergative. A sentence in Dravidian may be simple, complex or compound.

Simple sentences

A simple sentence is represented by two grammatical constituents, Subject + Predicate. The subject is either a Noun Phrase (NP) with the head noun in the nominative case, or a Postpositional Phrase (PP) with the head noun in the dative case (see discussion in section 9.2.5). The latter type is called the dative subject. The Predicate is represented either by a Verb Phrase (VP) or a NP. Both these may have PPs as complements or adjuncts. Sentences that have NP predicates are generally equative. The four types are illustrated below, taking (to the extent possible) one language from each subgroup:

(1) NP + VP

1. a. Ta. avaṉ va-nt-āṉ

2. [he come-past-3m-sg]

3. ‘he (informal) came’

4. b. Te. wāḍu wacc-ǣ-ḍu

5. [he come-past-3m-sg]

6. ‘he (informal) came’

7. c. Pa. tolen-kul verrar

8. [brother-pl come-past-3m-pl]

9. ‘the brothers came’

10. d. Kuṛ. tam-bas ke-cc-as

11. [he-gen-father die-past-3m-sg]

12. ‘his father died’

(2) NP + NP

1. a. Ta. avar eṉ āciriyar

2. [he-hon I-poss teacher-hon]

3. ‘he (polite) is my teacher’

4. …