Re: Case names help

Ah well, I guess I'd better offer my two-pennyworth   :)

On Wednesday, August 11, 2004, at 05:12 , Jim Henry wrote:

> "Mark J. Reed"  wrote:
>> On Tue, Aug 10, 2004 at 03:49:22PM -0400, Trebor Jung wrote:
>>> My language Kosi is very agglutinative, and I don't want to use
>>> postpositions. It has about twenty cases right now, but I don't have
>>> names
>>> for the following case-meanings. Could someone please help me with their
>>> scientific names?
>>>
>>> above, over
>> superlative? :)  Kidding, but maybe not really (see "comparative"
>
> Hungarian uses "superessive".  I would construct several of the others
> by analogy.
Yep - "superlative" would imply _motion_, i.e. moving over (literally:
'carried over'). Also, of course, the word has a long been used with a
different meaning. It won't do.

If Trebor simply means position 'over' or 'above', then "superessive" it
surely is.

>>> according to
>>> after, behind
>> Either of these could be the "secundive" . . .
I don't see why it would do for 'after', 'behind'. The common meaning of
the preposition _secundum_ is 'according to'. "secundive" will do nicely
for 'according to'.

'after'/'behind' is surely "postessive".

>>> against
>> contrative
>
> or apudessive?  contra-essive?  Do you mean "at, touching the outside of"
> or "right across some boundary from" or "in combative opposition to"?
Yes - we need to know the meaning of 'against'. 'at, touching' already
exists in some languages and is called the "adessive".
'in opposition to' would, I guess, be "contrarietative" /k@ntr@'rajIt@tIv/
  <-- Lat. contrarietas (gen. contrarietatis).

>
>>> around
>> circative
>
> circumessive
"circumessive" surely.

>
>>> before, in front of, prior to
>> prelative
>
> anteessive?
"prelative" would imply being moved to the front. "antessive" is possible,
  but "praeessive" /'priEsIv/ might be better.

>
>>> between
>> interlocative
>
> or interessive
Either are OK.

>
>>> during
>> dumative
...would suggest to a Latinist something to do with brambles or thorn
bushes   :)

> or dumessive
I think it better to keep -essive for ideas of place/position.  In fact
'during' suggests "durative" to me, though the word is sometimes used to
denote a verbal aspect.

>>> near to
>> juxtative
>
> proximessive?
Already exists in some langs - it's called the 'adessive'.

>
>>> of (=containing, e.g. group of people)
>> habientive
>
> Or compositive?
How does this differ from 'patitive'?

>>> outside of
>> extrative
>
> I think this is like the Finnish adessive.  (Contrasted with inessive,
> inside of.)
"inessive", is certainly 'inside of'; 'adessive" denotes being near or in
the vicinity of (one of the meanings of 'ad' in Latin). Of course, if you
are near something you must be outside of it; indeed _ad urbem_ will often
translate our 'outside the city'. But the specific Latin adv. & prep. for
'outside (of)' was _extra_. The -a would elide before _esse_, but I'm not
over-keen on "extressive", but it seems to me better than "extrative" as
*extratiuus would not be a normal Latin formation.
>
>>> under
>> subterative
>
> Or subessive?
"subessive" surely.

Ray
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