Object :
|
|
This is the animate or inanimate being that is directly
affected by the action identified by the verb or whose natural properties,
qualities, attributes or identity is expressed by the predicate. This
typically is the subject of non-psychological process verbs or equational
sentences without a copula. The case is marked by the Noun Phrase taking the
suffix /-wč/.
|
| (8) |
/h m yąwč1
sy yą2/ |
| Nom [0] |
`my wife1.
is fair2’
|
|
| (9) |
/majyįrąykwé1 į kw 2
ą3/ |
| Nom [0] |
`the cat1 is
3
in the house2’
|
|
| (10) |
| /nyś nįbąwč1 gwįg2/
|
| Nom [0] |
`your father1 is a priest2’
|
|
| (11) |
| /č tapwč1
iyagõ2 piwyą3/ |
| Nom [0] |
|
`this flower1 blooms3 at night2’
|
|
Subject Selection
Hierarchy :
|
|
The agent, the experiencer and the executor are in
complementary distribution, i.e., they occur with different semantic classes
of verbs. Whenever the sentence has one of these, it automatically becomes
the subject. In the absence of either of these, the object becomes the
subject of the sentence.
|
| (12) |
| /h1
tap2
thįso3/ |
| Nom [A] |
`I1
ate3
rice2’
|
|
| (13) |
| /h1 tap2 thįdebo3/ |
| Nom [Exec] |
`I1 ate (was caused to)3
rice2’
|
|
| (14) |
/hwč1
masy tyóde2/ |
| Nom [Exp] |
`I1 am hungry2’
|
|
| (15) |
| /tapwčląwč1
iyagõ2 piwyą3/ |
| Nom [0] |
`flowers1
bloom3
at night2’
|
|
Subject selection is also conditioned
in some cases by topicalization. In a sentence which has either an agent or
an executor, any of the other Noun Phrases or the verb can become the
subject by topicalizing the sentence (for a detailed description of
topicalization, refer section
|
| (16) |
| /wyąwč1
kwįgną2 wą3/ |
| Nom [V] [A] |
`the dog2 barks3
(the barking)1,
|
|
| (17) |
/įwč1
kįr
 gliyą2/ |
| Nom [0] |
`(someone) built2
the house1’
|
|
| (18) |
| /é jagiwč1 cyįną2 zśą3/ |
| Nom [0] [A] |
`he2 writes3
the note1’
|
|
Accusative :
|
|
This relates the surface object to the verb in the
sentence. The case is unmarked. The Noun Phrase in the accusative case can
be topicalized. The unmarked Noun Phrase is placed immediately to the left
of the verb. Semantically the case has only the object function which is the
case of the animate or inanimate being affected by the action of the verb.
|
(19)
|
| /h1
tap2
thįso3/ |
| Nom Acc [0] |
`I1 ate3
rice2’
|
|
Dative :
|
|
This case relates the goal to the verb in the sentence.
The dative cannot be topicalized. When it is not co-referential with the
agent, the dative Noun Phrase may represent different types of goals.
|
Recipient :
|
It specifies the animate being to
which the object is transferred at the culmination of the action identified
by the verb. This case typically occurs with recipient transitive verbs and
the Noun Phrase in the dative case is marked by the suffix /-dõ/.
|
| (20) |
/h1 wéd
 2
plamįa3
haso4/ |
| Nom Dat Acc |
`I1 gave4
him2 five rupees3’
|
|
| (21) |
| /nyś1 hd2
kitab3 hakẽyą4/ |
| Nom Dat Acc |
`you1 will show4
me2 a book3’
|
|
Allative :
|
|
The goal is spatial. That is it specifies the point in
space to where the subject is transferred at the culmination of the action
identified by the verb. The spatial Noun Phrase in dative case is marked by
the suffix /nył/ when the sentence contains an accusative Noun Phrase.
|
| (22) |
| /kath1 kalyįpnył2 tap3
syiso4/ |
| Nom Dat Acc |
`the ant1
brought4
the rice3 to the field2’
|
|
|
Where the sentence does not have an accusative Noun
Phrase, the dative is unmarked and occurs as the first Noun Phrase to the
left of
|
