Oblique case
Encyclopedia
An oblique case in linguistics
is a noun case of synthetic language
s that is used generally when a noun
is the object
of a verb
or a preposition. An oblique case can appear in any case relationship except the nominative case
of a sentence subject or the vocative case
of direct address.
Languages with a nominative or an oblique case system also contrast with those that have an absolutive
or ergative case
system. In ergative-absolutive language
s, the absolutive case is used for a direct object (the subject will then be in the ergative case); but the absolutive case is also used for the subject of an intransitive verb
, where the subject is being passively described, rather than performing an action. Nevertheless, there are ergative-absolutive languages that demonstrate oblique cases;
in the Northwest Caucasian languages
Adyghe
, Kabardian
and Ubykh
, the oblique case marker serves to mark the ergative case, the dative case
, and the object of a verbal applicative.
Bulgarian
, an analytic Slavic language, also has an oblique case—or, rather, two of them for pronoun
s:
Accusative:
Dative:
There is also one for masculine
nouns with the article
:
In analytic Indo-European languages
, the oblique case is a relic of the original, more complex system of noun cases from the common Proto-Indo-European language
. Oblique cases appear in the English
pronoun set; these pronouns are often called objective pronouns. One can observe how the first person pronoun me serves a variety of grammatical functions:
The pronoun me is not inflected
differently in any of these uses; it is used for all grammatical relationships except the genitive case
of possession and a non-disjunctive nominative case
as the subject.
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....
is a noun case of synthetic language
Synthetic language
In linguistic typology, a synthetic language is a language with a high morpheme-per-word ratio, as opposed to a low morpheme-per-word ratio in what is described as an isolating language...
s that is used generally when a noun
Noun
In linguistics, a noun is a member of a large, open lexical category whose members can occur as the main word in the subject of a clause, the object of a verb, or the object of a preposition .Lexical categories are defined in terms of how their members combine with other kinds of...
is the object
Object (grammar)
An object in grammar is part of a sentence, and often part of the predicate. It denotes somebody or something involved in the subject's "performance" of the verb. Basically, it is what or whom the verb is acting upon...
of a 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...
or a preposition. An oblique case can appear in any case relationship except the nominative case
Nominative case
The nominative case is one of the grammatical cases of a noun or other part of speech, which generally marks the subject of a verb or the predicate noun or predicate adjective, as opposed to its object or other verb arguments...
of a sentence subject or the vocative case
Vocative case
The vocative case is the case used for a noun identifying the person being addressed and/or occasionally the determiners of that noun. A vocative expression is an expression of direct address, wherein the identity of the party being spoken to is set forth expressly within a sentence...
of direct address.
Languages with a nominative or an oblique case system also contrast with those that have an absolutive
Absolutive case
The absolutive case is the unmarked grammatical case of a core argument of a verb which is used as the citation form of a noun.-In ergative languages:...
or ergative case
Ergative case
The ergative case is the grammatical case that identifies the subject of a transitive verb in ergative-absolutive languages.-Characteristics:...
system. In ergative-absolutive language
Ergative-absolutive language
An ergative–absolutive language is a language that treats the argument of an intransitive verb like the object of a transitive verb, but differently from the agent of a transitive verb.-Ergative vs...
s, the absolutive case is used for a direct object (the subject will then be in the ergative case); but the absolutive case is also used for the subject of an intransitive verb
Intransitive verb
In grammar, an intransitive verb is a verb that has no object. This differs from a transitive verb, which takes one or more objects. Both classes of verb are related to the concept of the transitivity of a verb....
, where the subject is being passively described, rather than performing an action. Nevertheless, there are ergative-absolutive languages that demonstrate oblique cases;
in the Northwest Caucasian languages
Northwest Caucasian languages
The Northwest Caucasian languages, also called Abkhazo-Adyghean, or sometimes Pontic as opposed to Caspian for the Northeast Caucasian languages, are a group of languages spoken in the Caucasus region, chiefly in Russia , the disputed territory of Abkhazia, and Turkey, with smaller communities...
Adyghe
Adyghe language
Adyghe language , also known as West Circassian , is one of the two official languages of the Republic of Adygea in the Russian Federation, the other being Russian. It is spoken by various tribes of the Adyghe people: Abzekh, Adamey, Bzhedugh; Hatukuay, Kemirgoy, Makhosh; Natekuay, Shapsigh; Zhane,...
, Kabardian
Kabardian language
The Kabardian language, also known as East Circassian , is a Northwest Caucasian language, closely related to the Adyghe language. It is spoken mainly in the Russian republics of Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia and in Turkey and the Middle East...
and Ubykh
Ubykh language
Ubykh or Ubyx is an extinct language of the Northwestern Caucasian group, spoken by the Ubykh people...
, the oblique case marker serves to mark the ergative case, the dative case
Dative case
The dative case is a grammatical case generally used to indicate the noun to whom something is given, as in "George gave Jamie a drink"....
, and the object of a verbal applicative.
Bulgarian
Bulgarian language
Bulgarian is an Indo-European language, a member of the Slavic linguistic group.Bulgarian, along with the closely related Macedonian language, demonstrates several linguistic characteristics that set it apart from all other Slavic languages such as the elimination of case declension, the...
, an analytic Slavic language, also has an oblique case—or, rather, two of them for pronoun
Pronoun
In linguistics and grammar, a pronoun is a pro-form that substitutes for a noun , such as, in English, the words it and he...
s:
Accusative:
- "Kiss me!": целувай ме! (tseluvay me!)
- "Kiss me! (not him)" целувай мен! (tseluvay men!)
Dative:
- "Give me that ball": дай ми тaзи топка (day mi tazi topka)
- "Give that ball to me" дай тaзи топка на мен (day tazi topka na men)
There is also one for masculine
Grammatical gender
Grammatical gender is defined linguistically as a system of classes of nouns which trigger specific types of inflections in associated words, such as adjectives, verbs and others. For a system of noun classes to be a gender system, every noun must belong to one of the classes and there should be...
nouns with the article
Article (grammar)
An article is a word that combines with a noun to indicate the type of reference being made by the noun. Articles specify the grammatical definiteness of the noun, in some languages extending to volume or numerical scope. The articles in the English language are the and a/an, and some...
:
- "The wind is blowing": Вятърът вее (vyatǎrǎt vee)
- "I despise the wind": Mразя вятъра (mrazya vyatǎra)
In analytic Indo-European languages
Indo-European languages
The Indo-European languages are a family of several hundred related languages and dialects, including most major current languages of Europe, the Iranian plateau, and South Asia and also historically predominant in Anatolia...
, the oblique case is a relic of the original, more complex system of noun cases from the common Proto-Indo-European language
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...
. Oblique cases appear in the English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
pronoun set; these pronouns are often called objective pronouns. One can observe how the first person pronoun me serves a variety of grammatical functions:
- as an accusative caseAccusative caseThe accusative case of a noun is the grammatical case used to mark the direct object of a transitive verb. The same case is used in many languages for the objects of prepositions...
for a direct object:
-
- She bit me!
- as a dative caseDative caseThe dative case is a grammatical case generally used to indicate the noun to whom something is given, as in "George gave Jamie a drink"....
for an indirect object:
-
- Give me the rubber hose!
- as the object of a prepositionPrepositional pronounA prepositional pronoun is a special form of a personal pronoun that is used as the object of a preposition.English does not have distinct prepositional forms of pronouns. The same set of objective pronouns are used after verbs and prepositions...
:
-
- Stop spitting on me!
- and as a disjunctive topic marker:
-
- Me, I like French.
The pronoun me is not inflected
Inflection
In grammar, inflection or inflexion is the modification of a word to express different grammatical categories such as tense, grammatical mood, grammatical voice, aspect, person, number, gender and case...
differently in any of these uses; it is used for all grammatical relationships except the genitive case
Genitive case
In grammar, genitive is the grammatical case that marks a noun as modifying another noun...
of possession and a non-disjunctive nominative case
Nominative case
The nominative case is one of the grammatical cases of a noun or other part of speech, which generally marks the subject of a verb or the predicate noun or predicate adjective, as opposed to its object or other verb arguments...
as the subject.
See also
- Objective (grammar)Objective (grammar)An objective pronoun in grammar functions as the target of a verb, as distinguished from a subjective pronoun, which is the initiator of a verb. Objective pronouns are instances of the oblique case....
- Object (grammar)Object (grammar)An object in grammar is part of a sentence, and often part of the predicate. It denotes somebody or something involved in the subject's "performance" of the verb. Basically, it is what or whom the verb is acting upon...
- Subjective (grammar)Subjective (grammar)In linguistics, a subjective pronoun is a personal pronoun that is used as the subject of a sentence. Subjective pronouns are usually in the nominative case for languages with a nominative–accusative alignment pattern....
- Quirky subjectQuirky subjectQuirky subjects are a linguistic phenomenon whereby certain verbs specify that their subjects are to be in a case other than the nominative....