Æbbro morphology

Main article: Æbbro

This page gives an extensive description of Æbbro morphological features.

Nouns

Nouns in Æbbro language end almost exclusively in a vowel. A limited amount of nouns, mostly loanwords, may unusually end in a consonant; in this case a euphonic vowel, -i- or -u-, is added at the end of noun before the normal declension endings.

Nouns display neither gender nor class distinction. In declension, however, some endings make a semantical distinction between animate and inanimate nouns.

There are two morphological numbers for almost all nouns, singular and plural, and a remarkably rich case system.

Cases

Æbbro nouns do decline, according to a nominative-accusative system with 16 cases:

Case	Meaning
Nominative	This case marks the subject of a verb. It is regarded as the base form of the noun, and it is used as the vocative form.
Accusative	This case marks the direct object of a verb.
Genitive	This case marks possession and belonging, either intentional, unintentional, or indirect.
Dative	This case marks the indirect object.
Ablative	This case marks the origin of an action or a state. It is also used to mark the subject of an nominal form of a verb.
Instrumental	This case marks the tool or the instrument which are used to perform an action or to be in a certain state. It can also mark the company, indicating an entity, together with which a certain action is performed or a certain state exists.
Locative	This case marks the place where an action is performed, or a certain state exist (stative location). It can also have a temporal value.
Allative	This case marks the final point of a movement (motion toward a place). It can also have a temporal value.
Delative	This case marks the point of origin of a movement (motion from a place). It can also have a temporal value.
Benefactive	This case marks the final purpose of an action or a state. In a broad sense, it marks the ultimate beneficiary of an action or a state.
Causative	This case marks the reason or the cause, which are the source of an action or a state.
Abessive	This case marks the tool or the instrument which are absent while performing an action or being in a certain state. It can also mark the absence of company, indicating an entity, without which a certain action is performed or a certain state exists.
Essive	This case marks existance or equivalence. It specifies an entity in its state, or which is the second term in an equivalence comparison. (as, like)
Comparative	This case marks relation. It specifies an entity, which is the other term in any kind of relations. (like, in relation to)
Benefactive	This case marks detriment, opposition or objection. In a broad sense, it marks the entity against which a certain action is performed or a certain state exists.
Partitive	This case marks partiality. In a broad sense, it marks the totality, from which a certain part is considered.

Each case, except for nominative and accusative, can have other functions. Other types of clause complements can be conveyed using various adverbial postposed forms (which can be regarded as postposition).

Numerals

The numeral system relies on a decimal base.

The first ten cardinal numbers are noun-like forms on their own:

digit	noun form
1:	aargo
2:	bunaa
3:	leeso
4:	zante
5:	gærne
6:	ddiino
7:	woolu
8:	miizo
9:	hæærtu
10:	laare

Numerals from 11 to 19 are built with the construction laare + NUM:

digit	noun form
11:	laaraargo
12:	laarebunaa
13:	laareleeso
14:	laarezante
15:	laaregærne
16:	laareddiino
17:	laarewoolu
18:	laaremiizo
19:	laarehæærtu

The numeral for 11 is irregularly built, by losing the last vowel of laare.

The numerals for (one) hundred and (one) thousand are noun-like forms on their own:

digit	noun form
100:	źoohdi
1000:	bbekko

The numerals for the multiples of tens, hundreds and thousands are built with the construction NUM + -laa / -źoo / -bbe:

	tens	hundreds	thousands
2x:	bunaalaa	bunaaźoo	bunaabbe
3x:	leesolaa	leesoźoo	leesobbe
4x:	zantelaa	zanteźoo	zantebbe
5x:	gærnelaa	gærneźoo	gærnebbe
6x:	ddiinolaa	ddiinoźoo	diinobbe
7x:	woolulaa	wooluźoo	woolubbe
8x:	miizolaa	miizoźoo	miizobbe
9x:	hæærtulaa	hæærtuźoo	hæærtubbe

Numbers above the multiples of thousands have no name and are specified by the lesser numerals.

Composite numbers are built by just putting them beside, without any conjunction, in descending order:

• 1985: bbekko hæærtuźoo miizolaa gærne

All cardinal numerals are meant as declinable forms. Case endings are usually attached to last numerals in a composed number. An adjoining noun is always declined in the partitive case, either in singular or plural number. The numerals conveys the case required in the sentence for the noun group.

roo leesone kootohuuppuu tuurkarom
I see three houses (lit. I see three of houses)

With semantically uncountable nouns, the numerals, and the noun declined in the singular partitive case, convey the meaning “X units of Y”:

leeso gomooppuu
three pieces/parts/balls/etc. of wool

If we want to convey a certain part of a greater amount, “X unity of more Ys”, the construction with the numeral (sometimes declined in the partitive case, instead of the required case), the indefinite adjective argo, every, all, and the adjoining noun declined in the plural partitive case.

roo leesone argoohuuppuu kootohuuppuu tuurkarom
I see three of the houses (lit. I see three of all houses)

roo leesoppii argoohuuppuu kootohuuppuu tuurkarom
I see three of the houses (lit. I see of three of all houses)

In later texts the noun stops agreeing with the numeral in number. The noun is then firmly declined in singular partitive case.

roo leesone kootoppuu tuurkarom
I see three houses (lit. I see three of house)

Ordinal numerals are formed by adding the adjectival endings -ndi / -ndu to the cardinal numeral form:

digit	adjective form
1st:	aargondu
2nd:	bunaandu
3rd:	leesondi
4th:	zantendu
5th:	gærnendi
6th:	ddiinondi
7th:	woolundu
8th:	miizondi
9th:	hæærtundi
10th:	laarendu
11th:	laaraargondu
12th:	laarebunaandu
20th:	bunaalaandu
60th:	ddiinolaandi

If the numeral form is composite, the ending is added only to the last numeral form:

• 25^th: bunaalaa gærnendi