Ablative case
Encyclopedia
In linguistics
, ablative case (abbreviated ) is a name given to cases
in various languages whose common characteristic is that they mark motion away from something, though the details in each language may differ. The name "ablative" derives from the Latin
ablatus, the (irregular) perfect passive participle of auferre "to carry away".
ablative case (ablativus) is mainly used adverb
ially to modify verb
s. It has 15 uses, descending from three Proto-Indo-European
cases: ablative (from), instrumental (with), and locative (in/at). The ablative is sometimes called the adverbial case
, since phrases in the ablative can be translated as adverb
s: magnā (cum) celeritāte can be translated as "with great speed" or "very quickly."
, the functions of the ablative case were taken by the genitive
, so that the genitive has functions belonging to the Proto-Indo-European
genitive and ablative cases. The genitive case with the prepositions ἀπό apó "away from" and ἐκ/ἐξ ek/ex "out of" is an example.
where it is the fifth case and is called rasa rrjedhore.
Sanskrit nouns in this case often refer to a subject "out of" which or "from" whom something (an action, an object) has arisen or occurred—e.g., patram vrikshaat patati "the leaf falls from the tree".
This case is also used for nouns in several other senses, e.g., where the action occurs "because of" or "without" a certain noun; nouns indicating distance or direction.
In Eastern Armenian, the suffix -its is used for both definite and indefinite nouns.
Mard- man
Mardits- from man
Toon- house
T'nits- from house
Both suffixes derive from Classical Armenian. The Western suffix -e is from the Classical singular and the Eastern suffix -its is from the Classical plural; both have been generalized for singular and plural in the dialects that use them.
In Armenian, the ablative case has several uses.
, the ablative case is the sixth of the locative cases with the meaning "from, off, of", e.g. pöytä – pöydältä "table – off from the table". It is an outer locative case, used just as the adessive and allative cases to denote both being on top of something and "being around the place" (as opposed to the inner locative case, the elative
, which means "from out of" or "from the inside of"). In the locative meaning, the receding object was near the other place or object, not inside it.
The Finnish ablative is also used in time expressions to indicate start times as well as with verbs expressing feelings or emotions.
The Finnish ablative has the ending -lta or -ltä according to the regular rules of vowel harmony
.
Usage
a barátomtól jövök - I am coming (away from) my friend.
Note that this case in this example implies that the user was next to the solid object, and not inside it. This means that if one said
a postától jövök it would mean one is coming from being stood next to the post office, and that you were not inside the building.
The application of vowel harmony
gives two different suffixes: -tól and -től. These are applied to back- and front-vowel words respectively.
Its partners for movement towards a solid object and for being next to that solid object are the allative case
and the adessive case
respectively. Its partners that correspond to movement away from, or out of, something are the delative case
(for movement from a surface or from a Hungarian city) and the elative case
(for movement out of a container or from out of an international city).
() is expressed through the suffixes -dan or -dən. Examples:
Ev - evdən
House - from/off the house
Aparmaq - aparmaqdan
To carry - from/off carrying
(-den hali or uzaklaşma hali) is expressed through the suffixes -den, -dan, -ten, or -tan. Examples:
Ev - evden
House - from/off the house
At - attan
Horse - from/off the horse
Taşımak - taşımaktan
To carry - from/off carrying
Ses - sesten
Sound/volume - from/off sound/volume
In some situations simple ablative can have a ”because of” meaning, in this situations ablative + ”dolayı” (because of) preposition is optional.
Yüksek sesten (dolayı) rahatsız oldum. / I was uneasy because of high volume.
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
, ablative case (abbreviated ) is a name given to cases
Grammatical case
In grammar, the case of a noun or pronoun is an inflectional form that indicates its grammatical function in a phrase, clause, or sentence. For example, a pronoun may play the role of subject , of direct object , or of possessor...
in various languages whose common characteristic is that they mark motion away from something, though the details in each language may differ. The name "ablative" derives from the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
ablatus, the (irregular) perfect passive participle of auferre "to carry away".
Latin
The LatinLatin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
ablative case (ablativus) is mainly used adverb
Adverb
An adverb is a part of speech that modifies verbs or any part of speech other than a noun . Adverbs can modify verbs, adjectives , clauses, sentences, and other adverbs....
ially to modify verb
Verb
A verb, from the Latin verbum meaning word, is a word that in syntax conveys an action , or a state of being . In the usual description of English, the basic form, with or without the particle to, is the infinitive...
s. It has 15 uses, descending from three Proto-Indo-European
Proto-Indo-European language
The Proto-Indo-European language is the reconstructed common ancestor of the Indo-European languages, spoken by the Proto-Indo-Europeans...
cases: ablative (from), instrumental (with), and locative (in/at). The ablative is sometimes called the adverbial case
Adverbial case
The adverbial case is a noun case in the Abkhaz language and Georgian language that has a function similar to the translative and essive cases in Finnic languages. It is also featured in the Udmurt language. The term is sometimes used to refer to the ablative case in other languages.-Examples:In...
, since phrases in the ablative can be translated as adverb
Adverb
An adverb is a part of speech that modifies verbs or any part of speech other than a noun . Adverbs can modify verbs, adjectives , clauses, sentences, and other adverbs....
s: magnā (cum) celeritāte can be translated as "with great speed" or "very quickly."
Greek
In Ancient GreekAncient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
, the functions of the ablative case were taken by the genitive
Genitive case
In grammar, genitive is the grammatical case that marks a noun as modifying another noun...
, so that the genitive has functions belonging to the Proto-Indo-European
Proto-Indo-European language
The Proto-Indo-European language is the reconstructed common ancestor of the Indo-European languages, spoken by the Proto-Indo-Europeans...
genitive and ablative cases. The genitive case with the prepositions ἀπό apó "away from" and ἐκ/ἐξ ek/ex "out of" is an example.
Albanian
The ablative case is found in AlbanianAlbanian language
Albanian is an Indo-European language spoken by approximately 7.6 million people, primarily in Albania and Kosovo but also in other areas of the Balkans in which there is an Albanian population, including western Macedonia, southern Montenegro, southern Serbia and northwestern Greece...
where it is the fifth case and is called rasa rrjedhore.
Sanskrit
The ablative case in Sanskrit is the fifth case (panchami) in the grammar, and has similar function to that of Latin.Sanskrit nouns in this case often refer to a subject "out of" which or "from" whom something (an action, an object) has arisen or occurred—e.g., patram vrikshaat patati "the leaf falls from the tree".
This case is also used for nouns in several other senses, e.g., where the action occurs "because of" or "without" a certain noun; nouns indicating distance or direction.
Armenian
In the Western Armenian language, the ablative case is rendered by the suffix -e (indefinite) or -en (definite).- Mart - man
- Marten - from the man
- Marte - from (a) man
- Doon - house
- D'nen - from the house
- D'ne - from (a) house
In Eastern Armenian, the suffix -its is used for both definite and indefinite nouns.
Mard- man
Mardits- from man
Toon- house
T'nits- from house
Both suffixes derive from Classical Armenian. The Western suffix -e is from the Classical singular and the Eastern suffix -its is from the Classical plural; both have been generalized for singular and plural in the dialects that use them.
In Armenian, the ablative case has several uses.
- Its principal function is to show motion away from a point in space or time.
- KAGHAKEN katsi. - I came FROM THE CITY. (Eastern Armenian; KAGHAKITS gnets)
- ASTEGHEN heroo g'abrei. - I used to live far FROM HERE. (Ea. ASTEGHITS heroo ei b'nakvoom)
- The case also shows the agent when used with the passive voice of the verb.
- INE misht g' sirveis. - You were always loved BY ME. (Ea. INDZITS misht eis sirvoom)
- AZAD'CHNEREN azadetsank. - We were freed BY THE LIBERATORS. (Ea. AZATOGHNERITS azatfetsink)
- The ablative case is also important to comparative statements in colloquial Armenian.
- Inch MEGHREN anoosh eh? - "What is sweeter THAN HONEY?" (proverb) (Ea. Inch MEGHRITS e anoosh?)
- Mariam EKHPEREN b'zdig eh. - Mary is smaller (younger) THAN HER BROTHER. (Ea. Maro AKHBERITS e bakas)
- In this use, the ablative can also be used with infinitives and participles.
- Tooz hamdesel e lav DESNALE. - Figs are better to taste THAN TO SEE. (Ea. T'zner hamtesel e laf TESNELITS)
- The ablative case is also important to case government with postpositions.
- INE var - Below ME (Ea. INDZITS var)
- KEZME ver - Above YOU (Ea. KEZITS ver)
- ANONTSME verch - After THEM (Ea. N'RANITS verj)
- MEZME arach - Before US (Ea. MEZNITS araj)
Finnish
In FinnishFinnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
, the ablative case is the sixth of the locative cases with the meaning "from, off, of", e.g. pöytä – pöydältä "table – off from the table". It is an outer locative case, used just as the adessive and allative cases to denote both being on top of something and "being around the place" (as opposed to the inner locative case, the elative
Elative
Elative has two slightly differing meanings in the grammar of two language groups:*Elative case, a grammatical case in, e.g., the Finno-Ugric languages*Elative , a category of comparison similar to the superlative in, e.g., the Semitic languages...
, which means "from out of" or "from the inside of"). In the locative meaning, the receding object was near the other place or object, not inside it.
The Finnish ablative is also used in time expressions to indicate start times as well as with verbs expressing feelings or emotions.
The Finnish ablative has the ending -lta or -ltä according to the regular rules of vowel harmony
Vowel harmony
Vowel harmony is a type of long-distance assimilatory phonological process involving vowels that occurs in some languages. In languages with vowel harmony, there are constraints on which vowels may be found near each other....
.
Usage
- away from a place
-
- Katolta
- Off the roof
- Katolta
-
- Pöydältä
- Off the table
- Pöydältä
-
- Rannalta
- From the beach
- Rannalta
-
- Maalta
- From the land
- Maalta
-
- Mereltä
- From the sea
- Mereltä
- to stop some activity with the verb lähteä
-
- lähteä tupakalta
- stop smoking (in the sense of putting out the cigarette one is smoking now; literally 'leave from the tobacco')
- lähteä hippasilta
- stop playing the game of tag (hippa=tag, olla hippasilla=playing tag)
- lähteä tupakalta
- to smell/taste/feel/look/sound like something
-
- haisee pahalta
- smells bad
- maistuu hyvältä
- tastes good
- tuntuu kamalalta
- feels awful
- näyttää tyhmältä
- looks stupid
- kuulostaa mukavalta
- sounds nice
- haisee pahalta
Hungarian
The ablative case in Hungarian is used to describe movement away from a solid object. For example, if one is walking away from a friend one could say:a barátomtól jövök - I am coming (away from) my friend.
Note that this case in this example implies that the user was next to the solid object, and not inside it. This means that if one said
a postától jövök it would mean one is coming from being stood next to the post office, and that you were not inside the building.
The application of vowel harmony
Vowel harmony
Vowel harmony is a type of long-distance assimilatory phonological process involving vowels that occurs in some languages. In languages with vowel harmony, there are constraints on which vowels may be found near each other....
gives two different suffixes: -tól and -től. These are applied to back- and front-vowel words respectively.
Its partners for movement towards a solid object and for being next to that solid object are the allative case
Allative case
Allative case is a type of the locative cases used in several languages. The term allative is generally used for the lative case in the majority of languages which do not make finer distinctions.-Finnish language:In the Finnish language, the allative is the fifth of the locative cases, with the...
and the adessive case
Adessive case
In Uralic languages, such as Finnish, Estonian and Hungarian, the adessive case is the fourth of the locative cases with the basic meaning of "on". For example, Estonian laud and laual , Hungarian asztal and asztalnál...
respectively. Its partners that correspond to movement away from, or out of, something are the delative case
Delative case
The delative case in the Hungarian language can originally express the movement from the surface of something , but it is used in several other meanings , some of them related to the original The delative case (abbreviated ; from Latin deferre "to bear or bring away or down") in the Hungarian...
(for movement from a surface or from a Hungarian city) and the elative case
Elative case
See Elative for disambiguation.Elative is a locative case with the basic meaning "out of"....
(for movement out of a container or from out of an international city).
Azeri
The ablative in AzeriAzerbaijani language
Azerbaijani or Azeri or Torki is a language belonging to the Turkic language family, spoken in southwestern Asia by the Azerbaijani people, primarily in Azerbaijan and northwestern Iran...
() is expressed through the suffixes -dan or -dən. Examples:
Ev - evdən
House - from/off the house
Aparmaq - aparmaqdan
To carry - from/off carrying
Turkish
The ablative in TurkishTurkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
(-den hali or uzaklaşma hali) is expressed through the suffixes -den, -dan, -ten, or -tan. Examples:
Ev - evden
House - from/off the house
At - attan
Horse - from/off the horse
Taşımak - taşımaktan
To carry - from/off carrying
Ses - sesten
Sound/volume - from/off sound/volume
In some situations simple ablative can have a ”because of” meaning, in this situations ablative + ”dolayı” (because of) preposition is optional.
Yüksek sesten (dolayı) rahatsız oldum. / I was uneasy because of high volume.