Astonishing Na'vi Parallel

[wm.annis]

One of the flexibilities of Na'vi I've always considered a little too radical to actually occur in natural languages is the use of a.  It seems odd that the noun can come first or last, so long as the a occurs between.

As always, I should know better.  Yesterday I ran across a very brief paper about an obscure Austronesian language spoken on a small island east of Taiwan (Orchid Island), Yami (fewer than 4000 speakers).  I recently ran across the abstract for a paper which discusses the Yami grammatical particle a — which works just like Na'vi!

Now, lots of languages have a grammatical particle pronounced a.  I'm just surprised about the noun-attribute order flexibility.

[Seze Mune]

Do you mean the a as it is used as an adjectival marker for nouns, or as a marker for clauses - or both - are similar to the Yami?

[wm.annis]

Do you mean the a as it is used as an adjectival marker for nouns, or as a marker for clauses - or both - are similar to the Yami?

Astonishingly, both, if I am interpreting the first example in the abstract correctly.  The only difference is that the a is not written attached to the adjective when used with adjectives.

[Kamean]

Great!

[Seze Mune]

Do you mean the a as it is used as an adjectival marker for nouns, or as a marker for clauses - or both - are similar to the Yami?

Astonishingly, both, if I am interpreting the first example in the abstract correctly.  The only difference is that the a is not written attached to the adjective when used with adjectives.

Aha! To my mind, that actually makes it more consistent in [written] usage.  This really tweaks my amusement and interest, ma wm. annis.  Irayo seiyi for sharing such a fascinating nugget.