Editing Sioux language (section)

===Syntax===
Dakota has subject/object/ verb (SOV) word order. Along the same line, the language also has postpositions.
Examples of word order:<ref name="Shaw1980"/>

{{interlinear|indent=3
|wichasta-g {wax aksica-g} kte
|man-DET bear-DET kill
|"the man killed the bear"}}

{{interlinear|indent=3
|{wax aksicas-g} wichasta-g kte
|bear-DET man-DET kill
|"the bear killed the man"}}

According to Shaw, word order exemplifies grammatical relations.

In Dakota, the verb is the most important part of the sentence. There are many verb forms in Dakota, although they are "dichotomized into a stative-active classification, with the active verbs being further subcategorized as transitive or intransitive."{{Sfn|Shaw|1980|p=11}} Some examples of this are:{{Sfn|Shaw|1980|pp=11-12}}

# stative:
#*ma-khata	"I am hot" (I-hot)
#*ni-khata	"you are hot" (you-hot)
#*khata		"he/she/it is hot" (0-hot)
#*u-khata		"we (you and I) are hot" (we-hot)
#*u-khata-pi	"we (excl. or pl) are hot" (we-hot-pl.)
#*ni-khata-pi	"you (pl.) are hot" (you-hot-pl.)
#*khata-pi	"they are hot" (0-hot-pl.)
# active intransitive
#*wa-hi		"I arrive (coming)" (I-arrive)
#*ya-hi		"you arrive" (you-arrive)
#*hi		"he arrives"
#*u-hi		"we (you and I) arrive"
#*u-hi-pi		"we (excl. or pl.) arrive"
#*ya-hi-pi	"you (pl.) arrive"
#*hi-pi		they arrive"
# active transitive
#*wa-kte		"I kill him" (0-I-kill)
#*wicha-wa-kte	"I kill them" (them-I-kill)
#*chi-kte	"I kill you" (I-you (portmanteau)- kill)
#*ya-kte		"you kill him" (0-you-kill)
#*wicha-ya-kte	"you kill them" (them- you-kill)
#*wicha-ya-kte-pi	"you (pl.) kill them"
#*ma-ya-kte	"you kill me" (me-you-kill)
#*u-ya-kte-pi	"you kill us" (we-you-kill-pl.)
#*ma-ktea	"he kills me" (0-me-kill-pl.)
#*ni-kte-pi	"they kill you" (0-you-kill-pl.)
#*u-ni-kte-pi	"we kill you" (we-you-kill-pl.)
#*wicha-u-kte	"we (you and I) kill them" (them-we-kill)

The phonology, morphology, and syntax of Dakota are very complex. There are a number of broad rules that become more and more specific as they are more closely examined. The components of the language become somewhat confusing and more difficult to study as more sources are examined, as each scholar has a somewhat different opinion on the basic characteristics of the language.