Word order Buli has a strict
subject–verb–object (SVO) word order with optional
focus/
wh-movement and no
pro-drop. In the following, an intransitive clause with an adverb is given, a transitive clause with an adverb and the word order paradigm in an embedded clause. All examples confirm the basic word order of SVO. {{interlinear|indent=2|lang = bwu {{interlinear|indent=2|lang = bwu {{interlinear|indent=2|lang = bwu
Verb phrase The verbal system in Buli is characterized by tonal inflection and relatively simple segmental verb morphology. Most of the verbs have a single segmental basic form, to which either a preverbal or postverbal particle is added and a specific tone in order to mark different aspects, modes, affirmation as well as negation.
Preverbal particles Preverbal particles mainly mark aspect and polarity. Note that the absence of a preverbal particle indicates perfective aspect.
The preverbal particle marks imperfective aspect. In the subjunctive, the particle is used, while its counterpart with low tone is used in the indicative. In the example below, this particle thus occurs in subjunctive or in indicative, respectively. {{interlinear|indent=2|lang = bwu {{interlinear|indent=2|lang = bwu
The preverbal particle marks future tense. It can either attach to a preceding pronoun or it can occur as an independent particle. {{interlinear|indent=2|lang = bwu {{interlinear|indent=2|lang = bwu
This preverbal particle is a preverbal negative marker. Similarly to the tone pattern of the preverbal particle , in the subjunctive the preverbal particle has a high tone on the vowel, while in the indicative it has a low tone, . {{interlinear|indent=2|lang = bwu
Postverbal particles Postverbal particles in Buli mainly express affirmation and negation.
The postverbal particle expresses assertion and is used in cases in which there is no preverbal particle, thus in perfective aspect. In contrast to the preverbal particles, this postverbal particle has to attach to the verb and cannot appear as an independent particle. The following example illustrates that the speaker expresses a particularly surprising aspect of the facts. Moreover, predicates marked with this particle are used by speakers as an unexpected or unforeseeable change of situation, occasionally also adverbially translated as , or . {{interlinear|indent=2|lang = bwu
This particle expresses affirmation. The focus marker seems to be contained in the morphem , while the morphem seems to be an element with unknown function.1 The emphatic function of this particle is to establish a relation between a truth value of a proposition and an expression from the previous context of the discourse, (i.e. ). It seems that this particle expresses verum focus, but according to Schwarz (2005) it is an outstanding issue to investigate whether varying positions of the particle in the clause lead to semantic-pragmatic effects. {{interlinear|indent=2|lang = bwu
The postverbal particle is formally identical with the demonstrative pronoun and also has an emphatic function. In Schwarz (2005), the use of this particle is described as the use of emphasis on the subject, which is characterized to a particular degree by the facts predicated on it as standing out from the crowd of potential alternatives. In the examples below this particle stresses the property of being late and having a big nose. {{interlinear|indent=2|lang = bwu {{interlinear|indent=2|lang = bwu
Negation Negation in Buli is expressed by two negative markers, one occurs preverbally and the other one postverbally. The first example below illustrates negation in the perfective, while the second example illustrates negation in the imperfective. In both examples, there is a preverbal negative marker and a postverbal one, similar to other negation systems like in French . {{interlinear|indent=2|lang = bwu {{interlinear|indent=2|lang = bwu
Preverbal negative markers The following table gives an overview of the preverbal negative markers that appear between the subject and the negated verb. The negative markers for the imperative II and the future tense differ only in tones, such that in the imperative II the tone on the vowel is low and the tone on the end is high, while in the future tense it is the exact opposite. The form of the indicative II is the form that deviates the most from the other forms. According to Schwarz (1999), the negative marker is associated with a verb in the perfective aspect, while the negative marker is associated with imperfective aspect.
Postverbal negative markers Contrary to preverbal negative markers, it is not obligatory for postverbal negative markers to show up. These rather stress the negated clause.
Postverbal glottal stop All negated predicates in Buli have a hard glottal stop at the end of the clause. This glottal stop stresses the negation at the end of the clause and thus functions as a second negative marker. This glottal stop is not always included in the glossing. {{interlinear|indent=2|lang = bwu
For reasons of completeness, the postverbal negative marker is listed here as well. {{interlinear|indent=2|lang = bwu {{interlinear|indent=2|lang = bwu
Questions Source:
Ex situ Questions that exhibit the question word ex situ are formed by the order QVO, in which the particle can optionally precede the question word. Note that this particle is homonymous with the focus marker . In subject questions, the particle obligatorily follows the subject wh-phrase, whereas in non-subject questions the particle immediately follows the non-subject wh-phrase. {{interlinear|indent=2|lang = bwu {{interlinear|indent=2|lang = bwu
In situ In questions, in which the question word occurs in situ, the particle obligatorily precedes the question word or the phrase containing the question word, respectively. {{interlinear|indent=2|lang = bwu {{interlinear|indent=2|lang = bwu {{interlinear|indent=2|lang = bwu {{interlinear|indent=2|lang = bwu
Embedded In embedded questions the question word remains in situ and is embedded via the complementizer , which only occurs in embedded contexts. In declarative contexts the complementizer is used. {{interlinear|indent=2|lang = bwu {{interlinear|indent=2|lang = bwu
Multiple questions In ex situ, in situ and embedded questions it is possible to have more than one question word. In multiple questions, the particle precedes the highest wh-containing phrase. {{interlinear|indent=2|lang = bwu {{interlinear|indent=2|lang = bwu {{interlinear|indent=2|lang = bwu == Further reading ==