Clause Structure and Topicalization in Nias Language: A Typological Analysis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1512.17Keywords:
clause structure, indigenous language, Nias language, syntactic typology, topicalizationAbstract
This study investigates the clause structure and topicalization strategies of Nias language (BN), an Austronesian language spoken in North Sumatra, Indonesia. Employing a qualitative descriptive approach, the research aims to portray and analyze syntactic and discourse phenomena in BN within their natural linguistic and cultural contexts. The data were collected through participant observation and naturalistic recording of spontaneous speech among native BN speakers, ensuring authenticity and contextual richness. The recordings were transcribed, translated, and analyzed to identify basic and derived clause patterns and the syntactic mechanisms used to mark topicality. Special attention was given to preverbal positioning, pronominal resumption, and left-dislocation, which reflect BN’s alignment with topic-prominent languages. The findings reveal that BN, while maintaining a canonical SVO structure, frequently employs marked word orders and topic-fronting strategies to serve discourse functions. These strategies exhibit a disciplined syntactic patterning that supports flexible information structure. A typological-comparative analysis positions BN within the broader Austronesian language family, highlighting both shared features and distinctive innovations, such as possessive topicalization. The study contributes to theoretical models of clause architecture, typological profiling of Austronesian languages, and ongoing efforts in linguistic documentation and preservation of Indonesia’s indigenous languages.
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