Re: A'stou part II: the Noun

At 08:51 31/05/00 -0500, you wrote:
>>
>Well, have you decide for a name for each case and then tell that can also
>be used in other situations.  As saying Nominative case and then telling it
>is also used for calling people.  I guess the first case name is enough,
>unless you really want your acronyms.
>
It's true that the names I gave to the cases are a little too much (well, I
was young at that time :))))) ), but I'm kind of attached to them now. I
feel they really go well with the nature of A'stou :) .

>>
>> THE DECLINATIONS:
>>
>> Each gender has different endings for the cases (the nominative is
>> different and uses often a different form of the noun).
>>
>You mean that nominatives are often irregular?
>
Very much indeed. The reason for it is completely unknown but it's the
case. That's why you need to know the N-V and the I-E of every noun to be
able to decline them correctly (except for a few other exceptions).

>>  Those endings show
>> the cases as well as the number (singular or plural). they are all used
>> when the noun is indefinite. But when the noun is definite, the nominative
>> form (singular or plural) is used with the article at the chosen case,
>>
>Then, there is not exactly case agreement between the noun and the article
>but the article bares the case mark, except for instrumental.
>
You're right of course. But at the time I was writing this post I could
find a way to express myself correctly, so I ended up with this...

>> NOTE2: Names of people (like Dha'stem) are always in neuter case (Dha'stem
>> is simply the N-V plural of Dha'os).
>>
>Is Dháos the instrumental (I-E) case? As I've see you given both nominative
>and instrumental in your examples.
>
No, it's the N-V case. I should've given both forms: Dha'os, Dha'stei. :)

>>
>Acusative gives then a temporal feeling to the 'on', 'after', 'from' and
>'theough' prepositions while shows the spacial concept... ;)
>
Exactly, quite simple and straightforward in fact (there are not so many
straightforward things in A'stou, so welcome them :)) ). It's even true for
prepositions that have only temporal or (exclusive or) spatial meanings.

>> NOTE: it can sound strange to put 'enough' with 'too much', but the
>> suffixes correspond.
>>
>Well, doesn't seam strange to me... ;)
>
Then you must be as strange as me :)) . But thinking of it, I don't have to
be surprised about that. As a conlanger, I'm not that strange (though many
people who are not involved in conlanging think I'm a weirdo :))) ).
Anyway, in my opinion, "enough" has really kind of a similarity with "too
much", but I cannot explain precisely why... :)

Well, I hope you didn't find it too boring to answer me :))) . I'll send
the next mail about verb morphology tomorrow or the day after tomorrow
(tomorrow is free so I think I won't be found in front of a computer,
especially with the nice weather that has been forecasted :) ).

                                                Christophe Grandsire
                                                |Sela Jemufan Atlinan C.G.

"Reality is just another point of view."

homepage : http://rainbow.conlang.org
(ou : http://www.bde.espci.fr/homepages/Christophe.Grandsire/index.html)