Editing Santa language (section)

==Grammar==
{{cleanup|reason=inconsistent formatting|date=March 2024}}

===Morphology===
====Plural marking====
* -la (remaining of nouns)
{{interlinear|indent=3
|~oni, eoni-la
|sheep, sheep(s)|}}
* -sla/-sila (certain nouns and pronouns)
{{interlinear|indent=3
|o~in, o~in-sla
|girl, girls|}}
* -pi (relatives)
{{interlinear|indent=3
|gajieiau gajieiau-pi
|brother, brothers|}}

===Cases===
Santa has 6 cases.{{sfnp|Kim|2003|p=354}}

{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Case
!Marker
!Example
!Meaning
|-
|Nominative
|'''-∅'''
|{{lang|sce|morei holuwe}}
|the horse ran
|-
|Genitive-accusative
|'''{{lang|sce|-ni}} ({{lang|sce|-yi}})'''
|{{lang|sce|bula-ni usu}}
|water of the spring
|-
|Dative-locative-benefactive
|'''{{lang|sce|-de}}'''
|{{lang|sce|ula-de khirei}}
|climb the mountain
|-
|Ablative-comparative
|'''{{lang|sce|-se}}'''
|{{lang|sce|udani hon-se gaowe}}
|better than last year
|-
|Comitative (joint case)
|'''{{lang|sce|-le}}'''
|{{lang|sce|chi ibura-le hhantu echi}}
|you go together with Ibura
|-
|Comitative (aspect case)
|'''{{lang|sce|-re}}'''
|{{lang|sce|bi chima-re sanane}}
|I want to settle accounts with you
|-
|Sociative-instrumental
|'''{{lang|sce|-gh(u)ala}}'''
|{{lang|sce|khidei-ghala kielie}}
|speak in Chinese
|-
|Locative-prosecutive
|'''{{lang|sce|-gvun}}'''
|{{lang|sce|moronghizha-gvun nie uzhe}}
|look along the river
|}

===Possessive===
====Pronoun====
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Word
!Note
!Meaning
|-
|{{lang|sce|morei-mini}}
|(also -miyi, -miy)
|my horse
|-
|{{lang|sce|morei-matanni}}
|(also -matayi, -matay)
|our (inclusive) horse
|-
|{{lang|sce|morei-bijienni}}
|(also -bijieyi, -bijiey)
|our (exclusive) horse
|-
|{{lang|sce|morei-chini}}
|(also -chiyis, -chiy)
|your horse
|-
|{{lang|sce|morei-tani}}
|(also -tayi, -tay)
|your (plural) horse
|-
|{{lang|sce|morei-ni}}
|
|him/her/their (any 3rd person pronoun) horse
|}

====Reflexive====
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Particle
!Word
!Meaning
|-
|'''{{lang|sce|-ne}}'''
|{{lang|sce|chi gaga-ne uru}}
|you call your elder brother to come
|}

===Pronoun declension===
====1st person====
{| class="wikitable" 
|-
! rowspan="2" | Case
! rowspan="2" | Singular
! colspan="2" | Plural
|-
! Exclusive
! Inclusive
|-
| Nominative
| bi / orun (quotation)
| bijien
| matan / oruntan (quotation)
|-
| Genitive-accusative
| mi-ni / nama-ni (namiyi)
| bijien-ni
| matan-ni / ma-ni
|-
| Dative-locative
| nama-de / ma-de
| bijien-de
| matan-de
|-
| Ablative-comparative
| nama-se / ma-se
| bijien-se
| matan-se
|-
| Comitative (joint case)
| nama-le / ma-le
| bijien-le
| matan-le
|-
| Sociative-instrumental
| bi-ghala
| bijien-ghala
| matan-ghala
|}

====2nd person====
{| class="wikitable" 
|-
! Case
! Singular
! Plural
|-
| Nominative
| chi
| ta / tan
|-
| Genitive-accusative
| chi-ni
| ta-ni
|-
| Dative-locative
| chima-de 
| tan-de
|-
| Ablative-comparative
| chima-se / cha-se
| tan-se
|-
| Comitative (joint case)
| chima-le 
| tan-le
|-
| Sociative-instrumental
| chi-ghala
| ta-ghala
|}

====3rd person====
{| class="wikitable" 
|-
! Case
! colspan="3" | Singular
! colspan="3" | Plural
|-
| Nominative
| rowspan="2" | hhe
| rowspan="2" | tere
| rowspan="2" | egven
| hhela
| terela
| egvenla
|-
|Genitive-accusative
| hhesila
| teresila
| egvesila
|-
| Dative-locative
| hhe-ni 
| tere-ni
| egen-ni
| hhela-ni
| terela-ni
| egvenla-ni
|-
| Ablative-comparative
| hhe-nde
| tere-(n)de / ten-de
| egven-de
| hhela-de
| terela-de
| egvenla-de
|-
| Comitative (joint case)
| hhe-nse  
| tere-(n)se
| egven-se
| hhela-se
| terela-se
| egvenla-se
|-
| Sociative-instrumental
| hhe-nle
| tere-le
| egven-le
| hhela-le
| terela-le
| egvenla-le
|-
| Sociative instrumental
| hhe-ghala
| tere-ghala
| egven-ghala
| hhela-ghala
| terela-ghala
| egvenla-ghala
|}

===Verb suffix===
====Active verb====
; Type category (mood or modality)

{| class="wikitable" 
|-
! Case
! Particle
! Example
! Meaning
|-
| rowspan="2" | Imperative
| '''-ye'''
| matanghala yawu-ye
| let's go (dual)
|-
| '''-gie'''
| chini gien ghujingvan gaoda-gie
| may your illness heal quickly
|-
| Declarative
| '''-we'''
| bi uzhe-we
| I watched
|}

; Aspect category (manner or state of verb action)

{| class="wikitable" 
|-
! Aspect
! Particle
! Example
! Meaning
|-
| Perfect
| '''-we'''
| bi bazade echi-we
| I have gone to Linxia
|-
| Imperfect
| '''-ne'''
| chi khala echi-ne
| where are you going?
|-
| Continuative
| '''-zhiwe (-zho)'''
| ana-miyi budan gie-zhiwe
| my mum is cooking
|}

Voice category (relationship between action and its subject)

{| class="wikitable" 
|-
! Voice
! Particle
! Example
! Meaning
|-
| Active voice
| '''-∅'''
| 
| 
|-
| Causative voice
| '''-gva'''
| bai-gva
| to establish
|-
| Cooperative voice
| '''-ndu'''
| jie-ndu
| to eat
|}

Numeral: Singular has no suffix, plural suffix is -ndu, the same as Cooperative voice.

Numbers: Singular has no additional component, plural's additional component is -ndu, the same as the additional component for Cooperative voice.

====Adverbial verb====
{| class="wikitable" 
|-
! Adverb
! Particle
! Example
! Meaning
|-
| Coordinative adverbial verb
| '''-zhi'''
| shira-zhi ijie
| to roast and eat
|-
| Repetitive adverbial verb
| '''-n'''
| wila-n wila-n yawulawe
| walking while crying and crying
|-
| Purpose adverbial verb
| '''-le'''
| bi nie uzhe-le irewe
| I came to take a look
|-
| Separative adverbial verb
| '''-dene (-de)'''
| chi ijie-dene bi ijieye
| you eat first, then I'll eat
|-
| Conditional adverbial verb
| '''-se'''
| ghura bao-se bi ulie irene
| if it rains, I won't come
|-
| Choice, Limit adverbial verb
| '''-tala'''
| khara olu-tala wilie giewe
| work until it gets dark
|-
| Concessive adverbial verb
| '''-senu'''
| eqiemagva bosi-senu shu uzhezho
| read a book after getting up in the morning
|}

====Stative verb====

{| class="wikitable" 
|-
! Tense
! Particle
! Example
! Meaning
|-
| Past
| '''-san (-sen)'''
| ene baodei bolu-sanwe
| this wheat is ripe
|-
| Future
| '''-ku / -wu'''
| echi-ku mo gholowe
| the road that needs to be taken is long
|-
| Present
| '''-chin'''
| enende sao-chin kun wainu uwe
| is there anyone living here?
|}

====Existential verbs bi and wi====
{| class="wikitable" 
|-
! colspan="2" | 
! bi
! wi
|-
| colspan="2" | Active verb
| wai-ne
| wi-we
|-
| rowspan="3" | Stative verb
| Past stative verb
| bi-san
| wi-san
|-
| Future stative verb
| bi-ku
| wi-ku
|-
| Present stative verb
| bi-chin
| wi-chin
|-
| rowspan="5" | Adverbial verb
| Coordinative adverbial verb
| bi-zhi 
| wi-zhi  
|-
| Separative adverbial verb
| bi-dene
| wi-dene
|-
| Conditional adverbial verb
| bi-se
| wi-se
|-
| Choice, Limit adverbial verb
| bi-tala
| wi-tala
|-
| Concessive adverbial verb
| bi-senu 
| wi-senu 
|}
{| class="wikitable" 
|-
! Tense
! Particle
! Example
! Meaning
|-
| Speculative
| '''bi-mu'''
| hhen-de baer bi-mu
| he might be rich
|-
| Recollective
| '''bi-lai'''
| hhe nasun giedun bi-lai bi matawe
| I forgot how old he is
|}

===Syntax===
In common with other Mongolic languages, Dongxiang is spoken as an [[Subject–object–verb|SOV]] language. In Linxia, however, under the influence of the [[Mandarin Chinese]] dialects spoken by the neighbouring [[Hui people]], sentences of the [[subject–verb–object|SVO]] type have also been observed.{{sfnp|Bao|2006|loc=1.1: {{lang|zh-Hans|东乡语的语序特点}}}}