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chain chain chain...

From:Danny Wier <dawier@...>
Date:Friday, April 2, 1999, 1:02
I was on IRC (I'm always on IRC), and found myself using this
expression: "up off in there".  Three prepositions.  So are there any
natlangs or conlangs that use 'chains' of adpositions, or even
inflections, for complex cases?  I know of Basque, which has
genitive-of-dative, etc.

I'm thinking of working out a multi-dimensional case system for Tech,
which uses both prepositions and inflectional endings.  I have eight
cases right now (these are cases which are simple and stand alone,
without a preposition); they are the same eight cases of Sanskrit.  But
I want to be able to incorporate subcases of, say, the ablative
(elative, delative, translative, etc.), but also indicate something like
"to the edge of the city, then away" by linking the dative with the
ablative and using one preposition marking an addesive/allative target
location.

Four inflectional cases to indicate movement/stasis...
  locative -- stationary position
  dative -- approaching a point
  ablative -- moving away from the point
  instrumental -- moving through a point
... plus a preposition (which can cause mutation of the initial
consonant of the antecedent) to mark whether the point of reference is
inside, on the edge of, above, away from, etc. the referent.

Does this make any sense?

Danny
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