Grammar overview

Toaq word order is "verb, subject, object".

Verbs are in the falling tone . Pronouns are in the rising tone .

Guaı jí.
work 1sg
I work.

Dua jí hóq.
know 1sg it.abstract
I know it.

Verbs can be preceded by tense, aspect, and polarity (negation) words.

Sentences can end with a speech act particle whose tone is lexical (i.e. part of the word):

da for a statement, móq for a question, ba for a wish, nha for a promise…

The default is da if there are no question words, and móq if there are.

Jıa guaı jí nha.
[future] work 1sg [promise]
I'll work.

Sentences can start with a complementizer in the falling tone :

ꝡa is declarative (like English that), ma makes a polar question (like English whether), tıo makes a degree question.

In English it seems weird to have a complementizer in the main clause (*That I'll work.) but in Toaq it's fine.

Ꝡa jıa guaı jí nha.
[that] [future] work 1sg [promise]
I'll work.

Ma chum guaı súq?
[whether] [imperfective] work 2sg
Are you working?

Tıo foı súq móq?
[degree] bored 2sg [question]
How bored are you?

Placing these complementizers in is how you start a subclause:

Dua jí, wä guaı súq.
know 1sg [that\sub] work 2sg
I know that you work.

Bu dua jí, mä guaı súq.
[neg] know 1sg [whether\sub] work 2sg
I don't know whether you work.