Re: Cases, again

Andreas Johansson wrote:

>Quoting Ray Brown <ray.brown@...>:
>
>
>
>>On Wednesday, March 17, 2004, at 06:30 AM, David Peterson wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>>Mad Martin wrote (I mean no disrespect--I think it's a cool accident
>>>based on your e-mail!):
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>I've got another question regarding noun cases. In a situation where a
>>>>language has Nominative, Accusative, Dative and Genitive, but no other
>>>>cases,
>>>>
>>>>
>>Like Modern German or, if we disregard the vocative, like ancient Greek or
>>like Volapük (which enjoyed a spectacular tho brief success as an IAL
>>before being eclipsed by the two-case Esperanto). I'm certain there are
>>other examples.
>>
>>
>
>I think Common Germanic had NADG? Icelandic has at any rate, and the other
>North Germanic languages used to. Old English and Gothic too, IIRC.
>
>
>
Old English had that (plus some remnants of the Instrumental - 'þy' -
with that/the, 'þys' with this, and 'hwy' with what/whom).  AFAIK,
Gothic had Nominative, Accusative, Genetive, Dative, Instrumental and
Vocative