Case
Definition:
Case is a grammatical category determined by the syntactic or semantic function of a noun or pronoun.
Discussion:
The term case has traditionally been restricted to apply to only those languages which indicate certain functions by the inflection of:
- nouns
- pronouns
- noun phrase constituents, such as adjectives and numerals
The term is sometimes extended to include such functions expressed by adpositions.
Kinds:
- Abessive Case
- Ablative Case
- Absolutive Case
- Accusative Case
- Allative Case
- Benefactive Case
- Causative Case
- Comitative Case
- Dative Case
- Delative Case
- Elative Case
- Equative Case
- Ergative Case
- Essive Case
- Genitive Case
- Illative Case
- Inessive Case
- Instrumental Case
- Lative Case
- Locative Case
- Nominative Case
- Partitive Case
- Prolative Case
- Superessive Case
- Translative Case
- Vocative Case
Examples:
(Latin)
The Latin sentences Canis hominem mordet ‘Dog bites man’ and Canem homo mordet ‘Man bites dog’, illustrate that differing case endings express the differing functions of the nouns in Latin.
(Japanese)
In the following sentence, case is indicated by the case markers ga, ni, and o:
- John ga Mary ni hon o yatta
- John NOMINATIVE Mary DATIVE book ACCUSATIVE gave
- ‘John gave Mary a book.’
Source:
4–5
211
53–54
179–180
71–72
This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library. Version 5.0 published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 2003.