Complementizer

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A complementizer is a word that starts a clause, like ꝡa or or ꝡë.

In Toaq, main clauses start with a complementizers in falling tone, whereas subordinate clauses start with complementizer in glottal tone. The complementizers are:

Toaq complementizers
Type Main clause Subclause Meaning
Declarative or wh-question ꝡa ꝡä "that"
Yes-no question ma "whether"
Degree question tıo tïo "how (much)"
Restrictive relative clause ꝡë "which"
Non-restrictive relative clause "which"
Property / lambda clause "λ"

Null complementizers

English doesn't really have an equivalent of ꝡa: you can't say something like *That I like this book. in the main clause. But in Toaq, it's perfectly normal to say Ꝡa cho jí ní kue. The word ꝡa acts as a sentence fence.

Conversely, English allows for a "null complementizer" in a subclause: instead of I know that you like this book, you can say I know you like this book. In Toaq, this is not allowed: you must say Dua jí, ꝡä cho súq ní kue. Only the declarative main-clause complementizer ꝡa is optional.