Cases in Classical Laefêvëši

NOTE: This is an obsolete form of the conlang. It has been renamed to Classical Laefêvëši to distinguish it from the new version, which is Ascended or Celestial Laefêvëši.

Classical Laefêvëši has a total of 25 cases. The cases are marked with suffixes which are added to the noun.

Groups

The cases are divided into three groups.

Groups are:

1. Basic or main cases: nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, locative, instrumental
2. Sub-cases: terminative, egressive, elative, illative, superessive, inessive, temporal, antensive
3. Additional cases: vocative, partitive, nepartitive, equative, amarative, miristive

Case hierarchy

Classical Laefêvëši nouns have 25 cases in the singular, dual and plural. Cases are divided into three groups.

Groups are:

1. Basic or main cases: nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, locative, instrumental
2. Sub-cases: terminative, egressive, elative, abessive, lative, illative, benefactive, sublative, superessive, inessive, temporal, antensive, instcomitative
3. Additional cases: vocative, partitive, nepartitive, equative, amarative, miristive

The basic cases can replace any of the sub-cases and additional cases. The cases are arranged in the so-called case hierarchy which shows which case can replace another case.

• 1. Nominative
• 2. Genitive
  • 13. Terminative
  • 14. Egressive
  • 15. Elative
  • 16. Abessive
• 3. Dative
  • • 17. Lative
• 4. Accusative
  • 18. Illative
  • 19. Benefactive
  • 20. Sublative
• 5. Locative
  • 21. Superessive
  • 22. Inessive
  • 23. Temporal
• 6. Instrumental
  • 24. Antensive
  • 25. Instcomitative
• 7. Vocative
• 8. Partitive
• 9. Nepartitive
• 10. Equative
• 11. Amarative
• 12. Miristive

The additional cases (marked in italics) are replaced by nominative, except partitve which is replaced by genitive in most examples.

The number before the cases is the number the particular case is generally referred to. The cases are normally presented by those numbers, i. e. nominative is the 1st case, genitive is the 2nd case, terminative is the 13th case, etc.

Locative and instrumental are prepositional cases and are always used with prepositions.

Case cohesiveness

Cases are also divided into two groups, called open cases and closed cases, this feature is called case cohesiveness. The difference between them is that open cases can be combined with other cases while closed cases cannot combine.

Open cases are:

• vocative (7)
• partitive (8)
• nepartitive (9)
• equative (10)
• amarative (11)
• miristive (12)
• temporal (23)

Use of cases

Nominative

1. The subject of the action or state.
2. A complement after link verbs like mantjálaj to be and the verbs otélaj to become, sáklëvaj(-vej) to be called, nállëvaj-vej to be called, saákkëvij to be surnamed.
3. A noun in apposition to various generic terms such as 'book', 'film', 'cinema' etc., which may be in any of the cases.

Genitive

1. The subject of the negated verb mantjálaj to be when it is used as a full meaning verb.
2. The direct object of a negated transitive verb.
3. The case governed by certain reflexive verbs.
4. The logical subject of the impersonal verbs nadzénlaj to run out of and dzelâjavaj to be short of, not have enough of.
5. An object with a partitive meaning following transitive verbs.
6. The measured noun after certain numerals, nouns and adverbs denoting a measure or amount.
7. Various relationships between one noun group and another, especially possession, authorship, connection, belonging:
   1. Possession and authorship are normally indicated by a possessive adjective formed from the noun.
   2. If, however, the noun is qualified by an attributive adjective or a possessive pronoun, or if a christian name is used with a surname then a genitive construction is used. A genitive construction is also used if a possessive adjective cannot be formed from a noun.
   3. If authorship is not of one person in particular but very general, this may be indicated by the use of the simple genitive (such phrases as these may also be translated with classifying adjectives -ili/-ivi; the difference between the two is that the genitive construction emphasises 'genitive', whereas the adjectival construction outs emphasis on the 'nominative'.
   4. Belonging and other relationships, e.g. part of, type of, subject or object of verbal noun are also indicated by the genitive.
8. The case governed by certain adjectives.
9. An adverbial phrase of time or manner.
10. A descriptive attribute qualified by an adjective following the verb mantjálaj to be.
11. The case governed by certain prepositions.

Dative

1. The indirect object of transitive verbs
2. The direct object of certain verbs and the verbal nouns derived from these verbs.
3. The case governed by certain adjectives and by the predicative týø(k) equal to'
4. The logical subject of certain impersonal constructions denoting a state of mind, feeling or attribute.
5. The logical subject of certain verbs used reflexively and impersonally.
6. The logical subject of the predicative constructions hăŗ-mantjálaj to like, năŗ-mantjálaj to dislike.
7. The case governed by certain prepositions.

Accusative

1. The direct object of a transitive verb.
2. The logical subject in certain impersonal constructions.
3. Adverbial phrases of time and duration.
4. Cost, weight, measure.
5. The case governed by certain prepositions.

Locative

Locative is a prepositional case, i.e. it is only used with prepositions.

Instrumental

Instrumental is a prepositional case, i.e. it is only used with prepositions.

Vocative

Vocative is used for addressing someone, with or without a preposition. Nowadays it is generally restricted to the use with imperative. Vocative can be replaced by nominative.

Partitive

Partitive is used for amounts. A special partitive declension is also used, which basically attaches certain numerals as a suffix to a noun. Partitive can be replaced by genitive or nominative in certain situations.

Nepartitive

Nepartitive or negative partitive is used for amounts in negative meaning. Nepartitve can be replaced by genitive or nominative.

Equative

Equative is used for comparison with something, however, it is not used when a verb requires an object in accusative. Equative can be replaced by nominative.

Amarative

Amarative is used for addressing someone and at the same time expressing emotions of love, adoration, passion, etc. Amarative can be replaced by nominative.

Miristive

Miristive is used for addressing someone and at the same time expressing emotions of hatred, despise, etc. Miristive can be replaced by nominative.

Terminative

Terminative is used for marking the end of a movement or time.

Egressive

Egressive is used for marking the beginning of a movement or time.

Elative

Elative is used for marking a movement out of something.

Abessive

Abbesive is used for marking a lack of something.

Lative

Lative is used for marking a movement to a location.

Illative

Illative is used for marking a movement into something.

Benefactive

Benefactive is used for marking the beneficiary, for something.

Sublative

Sublative is used for marking a movement onto the surface of something.

Superessive

Superessive is used for marking the location on something, on the surface.

Inessive

Inessive is used for marking the location inside something.

Temporal

Temporal is used for specifying a time and it is used only with time expressions.

Antensive

Antensive is used for marking a time before something and it is used only with time expressions.

Instcomitative

Instcomitative or instrumental-comitative is used for marking the instrument and in company of something.