Alagwa (Alaagwa’isa) is a Cushitic language spoken in Tanzania in the Dodoma region.
[3] Alagwa sentences have a generalized order [Subject X Auxiliary Y Verb Z], and elements of the sentence other than the subject appear in the positions labelled X, Y, and Z, depending on their information status in the clause.
The following example (Kiessling 2007:138) shows the noun yaawáa 'dowry' introduced as new information after the verb in the first sentence and repeated as old information before the auxiliary ningi in the second sentence.
makimoo-w-ód,guy-M-Dning-aaSEQ:S3-ABLxay-ee’come:3-PF.PLningiSEQ:S3bu’-i-yee’pay-3-PF.PLyaawáadowrymakimoo-w-ód, ning-aa xay-ee’ ningi bu’-i-yee’ yaawáaguy-M-D SEQ:S3-ABL come:3-PF.PL SEQ:S3 pay-3-PF.PL dowry'that guy, they [i.e. the lions] came and paid the dowry.
'maasodende’ee-w-ósfolks-N-3SG.POSSyaawáadowryningiSEQ:O3PLbu’-i-yee’pay-3-PF.PLmaa dende’ee-w-ós yaawáa ningi bu’-i-yee’so folks-N-3SG.POSS dowry SEQ:O3PL pay-3-PF.PL'His folks paid the dowry.'