User:Bukkia/sandboxVIII

Personal pronouns

Personal pronouns feature a distinction between two forms for the direct case. The first form (named direct₁) is used as the subject of the clauses, for every kind of verbs. The second form (named direct₂) is used as the direct object of the clause, for transitive verbs, and with every preposition requiring the direct case. They do not have any forms for the basic case, the direct forms as subjects are used as vocative forms.

Moreover, the 1^st person has two different roots, exhibiting thus a mixed declension. On the other hand, the 2^nd and the 3^rd persons have only one root, displaying, however, a similar irregular declension.

	1st sing.	2nd sing.	3rd sing.	1st plur.	2nd plur.	3rd plur.
direct1	owtu	æpjixu	æstu	owtun	æpjixun	æpstun
direct2	ju	æpji	æs	jun	æpjin	æn
oblique	juha	æpjiha	æsa	juna	æpjina	æna

There are, however, two possible forms for the second persons:

	2nd sing.		2nd plur.
	standard	obsolete	standard	obsolete
direct1	æpjixu	ercu	æpjixun	ercun
direct2	æpji	næ	æpjin	næn
oblique	æpjiha	næha	æpjina	næna

The alternative forms are regarded as obsolete and they are used in modern texts only in religious texts, in intentionally archaizing texts and in some set expressions. They may be also found in colloquial language, with a sense of solemnity or irony. It can be noticed that every speaker is well aware of these alternative forms, but their usage is steadily declining (except in some peripheral dialect, where their usage can be prevailing over the standard forms).

The forms for the oblique case can be used alone, without any prepositions, conveying the meaning of the indirect object. When used alone, the forms for the direct and indirect object tend to be placed before the conjugated verb in the sentence. Their positioning after the verb is regarded as a marked position.

Examples:

owtu he æs owf loʎiɸjiθu
I didn't see him

owtu he owf loʎiɸjiθu æs
As for him, I didn't see him

Anyway, these pronouns are placed after the negative adverb jis.