Case: case
Dargwa has three types of cases:
- functional: Ergative, Absolutive(Nominative), Genitive, Dative, Comitative, Causal (UD: causative), Substitutive, Replicative (UD: equative), Vocative;
- orientation markers: IN (Case=Ine) ‘in a container’, INTER (Case=Inb) in a substance’ or ‘between multiple landmarks’, SUPER (Case=Sup) ‘on a surface’, AD (Case=Ade) ‘near’, APUD (Case=Apu) ‘in the functional area of a landmark’;
- localization markers: ESS(ive) (Case=Ess) ‘no movement’, LAT(ive) (Case=Lat) ‘to the area denoted by the localization’, EL(ative) (Case=Ela) ‘away from the area denoted by the localization’, TRANS(lative) (Case=Tra) ‘through the area denoted by the localization’, DIR(ective)/allative (Case=All) ‘in the direction of the area denoted by the localization’.
Locative markers are generally a combination of an orientation and a localization marker, so they are coded as e.g. Case=Sup,Tra (movement through the the area localized on the surface of the landmark).
Mehweb Dargwa has no spatial configuration markers for orientation in which the object is located on the surface of a landmark and stays there because of the nature of the contact between the object and the landmark, or because it is a part thereof (‘(a picture) on the wall’, ‘(a ring) on a finger’, ‘(wings) on the back’, ‘(a birthmark) on the face’). The markers for SUPER and INTER are used instead.
Functional cases
Erg: ergative
The ergative case marks the A of a transitive verb and the instrument.
Examples
- adaj-ni mašinka-li-ni muc’ur b-erč-ur. : father-ERG hair.cutter-OBL-ERG beard(ABS) n-cut.hair:pfv-aor “The father cut his beard with clippers.”
Abs: absolutive
The absolutive (nominative) case marks the S of an intransitive verb and the P of a transitive verb. It is also used in a binominative construction.
Examples
- ʡali w-ak’-ib : Ali(Abs) M-come:PFV-AOR “The fish is in the river.”
Gen: genitive
Examples
- rasuj-ni ar-d-uk-ib muħammad-la kwihme : Rasul.OBL-ERG away-NPL-lead:PFV-AOR Muhammad-GEN sheep.PL “Rasul took away Muhammad’s sheep.”
Dat: dative
Examples
- abaj-ni gi-b sadaq’ači-li-s t’ult’ : mother-ERG give:PFV-AOR pauper-OBL-DAT bread “Mother gave bread to a pauper.”
Com: comitative
Comitative is used for co-participants and instruments, including consumables.
Examples
- rasul urʁes w-ik-ib muħammadi-ču : Rasul fight:IPFV-INF M-LV:PFV-AOR Muhammad-COMIT “Rasul fought with Muhammad.”
Cau: causal (causative / motivative / purposive)
Causal not attested in Modern Megweb.
Examples
- ? di-la χuligan-deši-čible nu tusnaq’ w-aq’-ib. : I.OBL-GEN hooligan-NMLZ-CAUSAL I arrest M-do:PFV-AOR “I got arrested because of my hooliganism.” (Magometov 1982: 49)
Cns: considerative / substitutive
Substitutive is used when the actor performs an action instead of someone who was supposed to perform it.
Examples
- nu adaj-čemadal tukaj-ħe w-aˤq’-un-na : I father-SUBST shop.OBL-IN(LAT) M-go:PFV-AOR-EGO “I went to the shop instead of father.”
Equ: replicative (equative)
The equative case means “X-like”, “similar to X”, “same as X”. It conveys the semantics of performing an action in the way similar to how someone or something else performs it, or in the way it is usually done. The form attaches to an irregular oblique stem.
Examples
- dilaj-sum b-aq’-a : I.OBL-REPL N-do:PFV-IMP.TR “Do as I do.”
Voc: vocative
A special vocative form only exists for two-syllable stems which denote humans. These forms are treated as a special stress pattern, with the stress (or special vocative intonation) on the first syllable.
Examples
- adáj (Absolutive) “father” ~ ádaj (Vocative) “fatherǃ”
Orientation
Ine: inessive
IN ‘in a container’
Examples
- ħarši k’unk’ur-le-ħe-r le-r : soup pot-OBL-IN-NPL(ESS) be-NPL “The soup is in the pot.”
Sup: superessive
SUPER ‘on a surface’
Examples
- ustuj-če-b ʁadara le-b : table.OBL-SUPER-N(ESS) plate be-N “A plate is on the table.”
Ade: adessive
AD ‘near’: The AD -šu- localization is used to express the fact that one object is located in close proximity to another object.
Examples
- nuša ustuj-šu-b ka-b-iʔ-i-ra : we table.OBL-AD-HPL(ESS) PV-HPL-sit:PFV-AOR-EGO “We are sitting near the table.”
Inb: inter(essive)
INTER denotes the configuration when an object is within the spatial area of the landmark and the landmark is either a substance or a set of objects (e.g. in the forest).
In addition, these case forms can denote contact between the object and the landmark, a participant who becomes the agent or cause of a situation unintentionally (involuntary agent), temporary possessor, temporary recipient and the addressee with verbs of speech.
Examples
- Case=Inb,Ess: k’as ħark’wi-ze-b le-b : fish river-INTER-N(ESS) be-N “The fish is in the river.”
- Case=Inb, Lat: muħammadi-ze : Muhammad-inter(lat) “(to say smth.) to Muhammad”
Apu: Apud case
The Apud case is used to denote an area close to an object, in which the figure must be located to interact with the object (functional proximity). It is only compatible with words designating landmarks that have an area associated with them in this way, e.g. desk/table, water source, house. Apud can also be used to designate the area not near to but bounded by the landmark (e.g. door in example below) and an exchange equivalent.
Examples
- Case=Ess,Inb: nuša ustuj-ʡeʕ-b ka-b-iʔ-i-ra : we table.OBL-APUD-HPL(ESS) PV-HPL-sit:PFV-AOR-1/2 “We are sitting at the table.”
- Case=Inb,Tra: škaf unza-le-ʡeʕ-di b-aʕq’-un : wardrobe door-OBL-APUD-TRANS N-go:PFV-AOR “The wardrobe went through the door.”
Location and direction
Ess: esssive
ESS ‘no movement’
Examples
- nuša ustuj-šu-b ka-b-iʔ-i-ra : we table.OBL-AD-HPL(ESS) PV-HPL-sit:PFV-AOR-EGO “We are sitting near the table.”
Lat: lative
LAT ‘to the area denoted by the localization
Examples
- ħad hete ħunt’a-l qul-le-šu uˤq’-es gʷa : you.sg.DAT there(LAT) red-ATR house-PL-AD(LAT) M.go:PFV-INF ASRT “You should go there, to the red houses.”
Ela: elative
EL ‘away from the area denoted by the localization’
Examples
- dag it derbenti-ze-la w-ak’-i-le le-w : yesterday that Derbent-INTER-EL m-come:PFV-AOR-CVB AUX-M “Yesterday he came from Derbent.”
Tra: translative
TRANS ‘through the area denoted by the localization’
Examples
- škaf unza-le-ʡeʕ-di b-aʕq’-un : wardrobe door-OBL-APUD-TRANS N-go:PFV-AOR “The wardrobe went through the door.”
All: directive (allative)
DIR ‘in the direction of the area denoted by the localization’
Examples
- ʡali šaˤ-baˤʜ uˤq’-es : Ali(ABS) village-DIR (M)go:PF-FUT “Ali will go to the village.”
Notes
The Replicative case is equal to nominative (unmarked form) and is not tagged in the Mehweb treebank.
Orientation cases Inb and Apu are language-specific.
References
- Chechuro, Ilya (2019). Nominal morphology of Mehweb. In Michael Daniel, Nina Dobrushina & Dmitry Ganenkov (eds.), The Mehweb language: Essays on phonology, morphology and syntax, 39–72. Berlin: Language Science Press. DOI:10.5281/zenodo.3402058
- Moroz, George (2019). Phonology of Mehweb. In Michael Daniel, Nina Dobrushina & Dmitry Ganenkov (eds.), The Mehweb language: Essays on phonology, morphology and syntax, 17–37. Berlin: Language Science Press. DOI:10.5281/zenodo.3402056
Case in other languages: [am] [apu] [arr] [axm] [bej] [bg] [ce] [cs] [ctn] [dar] [el] [eme] [en] [es] [ess] [et] [fi] [ga] [gn] [gor] [grc] [gub] [hu] [hy] [hyw] [ka] [kmr] [koi] [kpv] [ky] [mdf] [myu] [myv] [naq] [nmf] [oge] [pal] [pcm] [ps] [pt] [qpm] [ru] [sl] [sv] [tl] [tpn] [tr] [tt] [u] [uk] [urb] [urj] [uz] [xcl] [xmf] [yrk]