| Case relations are indicated
by a set of post-positions which are added to the noun phrase in order
to establish the required relationship with the verb phrase. All the
post-positions are either monosyllabic or bisyllabic. They are semi-bound
forms in the sense that they have a meaning of their own and are merely
juxtaposed to the noun phrase. The following formula will make the
position of a post-position in establishing case relations of a noun
phrase clear. |
| NP = ±
DetS ± QnS ±
MdS ± HS ±
QnS ± Dets |
|
{ det } num adj
N num {det} |
|
{poss}
{poss} |
|
+ Gen + Cm |
|
genm pp |
|
where - DetS
|
Determiner slot
|
|
det
|
determiner
|
|
poss
|
possessive
|
|
QnS
|
quantifier slot
|
|
num
|
number
|
|
adj
|
adjective
|
|
HS
|
Head slot
|
|
N
|
Noun
|
|
Cm
|
case marker
|
|
pp
|
post-position
|
|
gen
|
gender
|
|
|
| This is, ordinarily, the
formula for a Mising NP. For clarity, it can be broken into parts
to show the position of the case marker added to the noun phrase.
|
|
|
|
+
|
num
|
+
|
det
|
|
|
|
(i)
|
epśk
|
+
|
kir*
|
+
|
dė
|
=
|
the bows
|
|
|
bow
|
+
|
pl
|
+
|
dem
|
|
|
|
(ii)
|
isiepśk
|
+
|
 kki |
|
|
=
|
isipłkkkki
|
|
|
this bow
|
+
|
by
|
|
|
=
|
by this bow
|
|
|
|
+
|
gen
|
+
|
case
|
|
|
|
|
k
|
|
nė
|
|
sk
|
=
|
‘with the child’
|
|
|
child
|
|
gender
|
|
with
|
|
|
|
|
|
+gne
|
+num
|
+ det
|
+ case
|
|
|
|
|
k
|
+ nė
|
+ kirķ
|
+ dė
|
+ kabé
|
=
|
|
|
|
| Following are the cases
in Mising. |
| 1.4.1.
Nominative |
| It is the case of the subject.
a subject may be an actor, an experience or an instrument pertaining
to any action. The case relationship ordinarily is not marked overtly.
|
|
(a)
|
bi_
sgapdu
he fish catch is (Actor)
|
‘He is catching fish’
|
|
(b)
|
miglunė
ami gi_d
the
blind man goes (Actor)
|
|
|
(c)
|
|
‘I am eating food (Actor)’
|
|
(d)
|
yksa
ądinem tėkt
|
‘Knife cuts meat (instrument)
|
|
|
| In sentences with two agents
as in the causative constructions, the instigated agent is demoted
to the object position and takes the accusative case marker /-m/ |
|
1
|
bļm edė kitabdėm
|
bļkklkke
|
|
|
|
I him that book
|
his form
|
give+causative say
|
|
|
| ‘I ask him to make him take
that book for him’ |
|
2
|
bļm
|
apin
|
dmtagai
|
|
|
I him
|
rice
|
eat+cau+tense/mood/aspect
|
|
|
| ‘I made him eat rice’ |
| In recurring constructions,
the subject of one of the clauses is manifested in genitive case instead
of nominative and takes the case marker /-kke/. |
