Syntax

The usual word order of Southlandic is SOV. It has a nominative-accusative alignment. Prepositions, determiners, and adjectives go before nouns, in that order.

Morphology

Nominal Morphology

Most nouns inflect for both alignment - nominative/accusative - and number - singular/plural. Personal pronouns further inflect for, of course, person, and also gender in the third person. There is even a cohortative in the first person plural.

-aìj, -aìdong - -hood
an - on
and - and
av - of
bì - by
fan - from
fur - for
furgv - through
-gav, -ganong - -y
-(ì)faa, -(ì)fong - -ness
ìn - in
-(ì)sk, -(ì)skon - -ish, -ic
-likon, -likonong - -ly, -like
mìd - with
ne - not
ta - to
un- - un-
under - under
uver - above
vè - like, similar to

Adjectival Morphology

Adjectives inflect for alignment and number, in order to agree with the noun they modify.

Verbal Morphology

Most verbs inflect for tense - past/present - and mood - indicative/imperative. Every verb also has a participle. The copula, ìm, also inflects for the person of the subject.

The Southlandic passive requires that the objectified subject have a certain preposition that depends on the tense, as well as deranking the verb to its participle and adding a copula:

Active Voice:
Sathe.SG.NOM vaalftwolf.SG.NOM fenthe.SG.ACC gastonyforiegner.SG.ACC segvaa.watch.PRES.IND
The wolf is watching the foreigner.

Present Passive Voice:
Sathe.SG.NOM gacforeigner.SG.NOM bìby fenthe.SG.ACC vaalfonwolf.SG.ACC segvonjwatch.PTCP ìst.be.PRES.IND.3
The foreigner is watched by the wolf.

Past Passive Voice:
Sathe.SG.NOM gacforeigner.SG.NOM fanfrom fenthe.SG.ACC vaalfonwolf.SG.ACC segvonjwatch.PTCP vas.be.PAST.IND.3
The foreigner was watched by the wolf.

Future Passive Voice:
Sathe.SG.NOM gacforeigner.SG.NOM tato fenthe.SG.ACC vaalfonwolf.SG.ACC segvonjwatch.PTCP ìst.be.PRES.IND.3
The foreigner will be watched by the wolf.

Interestingly, this passive construction is the only way to form a future tense in Southlandic.

The perfect in Southlandic is formed similarly, with respect to the verb: the primary verb of action is deranked to its participle and the verb avyaa, 'have', is added after it.

Present Perfect:
Ek1SG.NOM fenthe.SG.ACC sangvonsong.SG.ACC avof mind1SG.POSS fevdongpeople.SG.ACC sìngvonjsing.PTCP avyaa.have.PRES.IND
I have sung the song of my people.

Past Perfect:
Ek1SG.NOM fenthe.SG.ACC sangvonsong.SG.ACC avof mind1SG.POSS fevdongpeople.SG.ACC sìngvonjsing.PTCP avdong.have.PAST.IND
I had sung the song of my people.

Future Perfect:
Sathe.SG.NOM sangvdsong.SG.NOM avof mind1SG.POSS fevdaapeople.SG.NOM tato mek1SG.ACC sìngvonjsing.PTCP avyaa.have.PRES.IND
The song of my people will have been sung by me.

The if-conditional in Southlandic is formed by the particle after before the phrase proper, which must be in the passive future.

Gvèhow vèrnondreal.PL.ACC aalbraalondmirror.PL.ACC kan,can.PRES.IND afterafter nenot vèrondreal.PL.NOM tato unserd1PL.POSS avgaanaaeye.PL vesonjbe.PTCP ìst?be.PRES.IND.3
How can mirrors be real, if our eyes are not real?

To do a past conditional, use the passive future perfect.

Gvèhow vèrnondreal.PL.ACC aalbraalondmirror.PL.ACC kumpong,can.PAST.IND afterafter nenot vèrondreal.PL.NOM tato unserd1PL.POSS avgaanaaeye.PL vesonjbe.PTCP avyaa?have.PRES.IND
How could mirrors be real, if our eyes were not real?

For a future conditional, the if-conditional remains in the passive future, but the then-conditional becomes one as well.

Tato gvèhow vèrondreal.PL.NOM aalbraalaazmirror.PL.NOM kunonjcan.PTCP ìst,be.PRES.IND.3 afterafter nenot vèrondreal.PL.NOM tato unserd1PL.POSS avgaanaaeye.PL vesonjbe.PTCP ìst?be.PRES.IND.3
How will mirrors be able to be real, if our eyes will not be real?