Re: Case

>On Fri, 9 Jul 1999 10:17:57 -0400, nicole
><now-im-nothing@...>
>wrote:
>>I'm just curious, but those of you who do use case in your language,
>how
>>many do you have?  Where does it go from being "cool" to just plain
>>unworkable?

Well, Rokbeigalmki doesn't really have cases, it has prepositions.  But
they're stuck on to their nouns (although they can disconnect) so i guess
it's the same thing.
There are 16 prepositions.  All prepositions are a consonant + the vowel
_a_, written with an apostraphe to connect it to the noun:

ta'waju = in a home
ra'esed-a = outside the boat
la'galm-a = on the waves
tza'amilm = of nations
ya'ur = by means of fire
sha'ash = me (object)
sa'ush = with (or next to) it


However, prepositions can double-up on one another, in which case the
modified one becomes lengthened, the _a'_ /a/ turning into _aur_ /Or/.

nga'laur goimla-a = from on the hill  (in a context of motion)
nga'laur goimla-a = over the hill (in a context of location; _nga'_
"from" is used in Rokbeigalmki to describe differences)
wa'taur wajhwa = into home
wa'waur wajhwa = towards home
ta'saur gores = embedded in the side of a tree
nga'naur eleni-a = under the dome


The long forms also serve as nouns:

la'laur-a = on the surface
sha'taur-a = (object) the inside
ta'waur-a = in the direction


When attached to a noun, the preposition forces any adjectives to be
pushed to after the noun, similar to the definite article _-a_:

waju sudglend = a great house
sudglend waju = a great house

ta'waju sudglend = in a great house
NOT *ta'sudglend waju OR *sudglend ta'waju, etc.

waju-a sudglend-a = the great house
NOT *sudglend-a waju-a


Also, pronouns have two cases = subject and non-subject.  Subjects are
used in the subjects of sentences, and as resumptives (?; i think that's
what they're called...).  Non-subjects ones are by themselves used for
the direct objects of verbs, and with prepositions for all other
purposes.  Subject pronouns end in Z, and non-subject pronouns end in SH.
The non-subject case can be thought of as a generally prepositional case,
but accusative without a preposition.


Az mald = i (am) a human
Azoi-guvdhab = i speak

Azoi-manoi ush = i eat it
Azoi-manoi sha'ush = i eat *it* (with the redundant _sha'_ preposition)
Azoi-dal ush wa'ish = i give it to her
Azoi-danetz osh ta'ush = i put him in it

Iz, azoi-iip ish = her, i love her
Uhmz, azoi-shus uhmsh = them, i want them


-Stephen (Steg)

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