Iseren

Saturday, August 23, 2014

Cases

Ergative
Ending: -∅ *Only marked in pronouns, understood by word order elsewhere

Meaning:

The agent of a transitive verb

Díina dáa xwútl’áang. - I love you.

Absolutive
Ending: -∅ *Only marked in pronouns, understood by word order elsewhere

Meaning:

The subject of an intransitive verb

Dáa xwútl’áang. - You are loved.

The object of an transitive verb

Díina dáa xwútl’áang. - I love you.

Genitive
Ending: -∅ *Only marked in pronouns, understood by word order elsewhere

Meaning:

Possession

Díi duus. - My cat.

Vocative
Ending: -∅ *Only marked in certain nouns, understood by word order and punctuation elsewhere

Meaning:

The person being addressed

Chánii! - Grandpa!

Instrumental
Ending: -tin/-n

Meaning:

Using ...

Xál sdláagwaaltin ta taláagán. - He ate using a spoon.

Adessive
Ending: -ghaa

Meaning:

Adjacent location

X’waahldáayghaa - Near the house

Following ...

Duujáayghaa katsáa - To go following the cat

Around a time

9ghaa - Around 9

Locative
Ending: -wu/-u

Meaning:

The location

X’waahldáayu - At the house

At a time

9u - At 9

Pertingent
Ending: -déi

Meaning:

Touching ...

Hlgiijaadéi - Touching the fork

Extended physical location or contact with ...

Arizonadéi íijaa - To always be in Arizona

Repetitive physical arrival at ...

Arizonadéi katsáa - To always go to Arizona

"On" a computer, phone, etc.

Sdlxiigandéi - On a phone

Ablative

Ending: -dáx/-táx

Meaning:

Movement away from something

Díitáx - From me

Since a time

9dáx - Since 9

Allative
Ending: -gwii

Meaning:

Movement towards something

Díigwii - To me

At a time

9gwii - At 9

Prolative
Ending: -náxh

Meaning:

Movement using a surface or way

Tiltiwnáxh - At 9

Movement using a vehicle

Díi táannáxh katsgán - I went via bear.

During a period of time

Galwáaynáxh - During the night

Comitative
Ending: -gút

Meaning:

With ...

Diigút - With me

Privative

Ending: -k’ál

Meaning:

Without ...

Diik’ál - Without me

Essive
Ending: -gwaa

Meaning:

State of being

Axgwaa - As a dog

Benefactive
Ending: -xáan

Meaning:

For ...

T’anwáayxáan - For the grass

To Come

Infinitive:
Íists’áa /iːst͡s’aː/

Imperative:
Íists’íi /iːst͡s’iː/

To Go

Infinitive:
Katsáa /kat͡saː/

Imperative:
Katsíi /kat͡siː/

Infinitive:
Íijaa /iːd͡ʒaː/

Imperative:
Íichii /iːt͡ʃiː/

Note: Used in a restricted way compared to English. It is never used for adjectives, only for linking two nouns together or stating where someone is.

Note 2: When used for stating location, the focus marker "úu" is always infront of the verb.