Syntax

["Alfred W. Tüting"]

I'm already pondering on Dakota syntax for some time and would like to
hear your expert comments on this (as you know, I'm not a linguist of
profession).

1)
Is the Dakota topic-comment pattern comparable to some extent to, say,
the one in Arabic (Allah - hu akbar)?
2)
Do you think that it is also underlying the way to form compound nouns
(or verbs), e.g. sunkawakan etc.?
3)
Has this pattern also influenced the adverb-verb  or verb-modal verb
relationship? (e.g. nizi oniwanyake -> as for: you are pale - you seem
so etc.)
4)
Forming compounds, many examples seem to follow this pattern (with head
on the left side, e.g. Hoksila Wanbli - 'Eagle Boy'), what pattern
follow other examples with head to the right side, e.g. Sunka Wicasa -
'Dog Man'? Is this Western, i.e. English influence?
5)
Is left- or right-branching nomenclature applicable to languages like
Dakota?

Thanks in advance

Alfred

A.W. Tüting
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http://www.fa-kuan.muc.de

'Tieh Meng Hen - Traces of Butterflies' Dreams'
Small Anthology of Sung Dynasty Poetry (Germ.-Chin.)
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