Chechen noun cases
Cases and their functions
Case endings
Declension classes
Cases and their functions. Chechen nouns have eight basic cases with the following functions:
Nominative Subject of intransitive verb, direct object of transitive verb. Citation form, predicate nominal.
Genitive Possession; adnominal
Dative Indirect object; object of postposition
Ergative Subject of transitive verb
Allative Indirect object; other oblique objects
Instrumental Instrument, means, accompaniment
Lative Oblique objects
Comparison Standard of comparison
Case endings. The Chechen cases have the endings shown below. Endings separated by a comma are more or less automatic alternants; a semicolon separates lexically determined differences of declension; a slash separates stylistic variants.
|
|
Singular |
Plural |
|
Nominative |
(no ending) |
-ash; -ii, -i |
|
Genitive |
-n * |
-iin, -in * |
|
Dative |
-na |
-ash-na |
|
Ergative |
-uo; -s |
-ash-a |
|
Allative |
-ie; -ga |
-ash-ka |
|
Instrumental |
-ca |
-ash-ca |
|
Lative |
-x |
-iax; -ix |
|
Comparison |
-l |
-ial; -il |
Where the stem ends in a consonant and the ending begins with a consonant, a buffer vowel -a- is inserted (e.g. kuotam 'chicken' plus lative -x: kuotam-ax). Whether the buffer vowel is inserted or not is an automatic and purely phonological matter.
The ergative singular allomorphs are distributed as follows. -uo is productive in normative usage and is added to any consonant-final stem. -aa is a conservative normative ending in declensions 5 and 6 (for declension numbers see below), often replaced even in normative usage by -uo. -z in normative usage is found only on a handful of kin terms and other nouns referring to humans; in contemporary colloquial usage it is productive, used especially on vowel-final nouns and animate nouns.
Nouns fall into ten different declension classes depending on whether they together with case endings they take ablaut (change of the stem vowel in some or all oblique cases and/or in the plura) or an extension or pre-case suffix in the oblique cases and/or the plural. Some nouns have both ablaut and extension. The changes made in the singular oblique stem are largely independent of those made in the plural stem, so the ten declension classes are based only on the singular.
Declension classes. The table below shows these numbered declension classes. There are gaps in numbering because the same numbered system is being used here and for Ingush, which has more declension classes.
1. No ablaut, no extension. Endings are added directly to the stem (often with a buffer vowel -a- when a consonant-initial ending is added to a consonant-final stem, and regularly with a buffer -n- when the vowel-initial ergative is added to a vowel-final stem):
|
|
hen |
fly |
eagle |
turf |
bear |
|
Nom |
kuotam |
moza |
aerzuu |
bai |
cha |
|
Gen |
kuotaman |
mozan |
aerzuun |
bain |
chan |
|
Dat |
kuotamna |
mozana |
aerzuuna |
baina |
chana |
|
Erg |
kuotamuo |
mozuo |
aerzuunuo |
bainuo |
chanuo |
|
All |
kuotamie |
mozie |
aerzuuga |
baiga |
chanie |
|
Ins |
kuotamca |
mozaca |
aerzuuca |
baica |
chaca |
|
Lat |
kuotamax |
mozax |
aerzux |
baix |
chax |
|
Csn |
kuotamal |
mozal |
aerzul |
bail |
chal |
2. No extension. No true ablaut, but a stem vowel that is short in the nominative is long in the oblique cases where it is in an open syllable. The unique noun beepag 'bread' undergoes syncope of its second syllable -ag in the oblique cases, which closes the first syllable and shortens its vowel. It is put in this declension class though the fit is not ideal.
|
|
window |
wall |
bread |
|
Nom |
kor |
pian |
beepag (often [beepk]) |
|
Gen |
kuoran |
pienan |
baepkan |
|
Dat |
kuorana |
pianna |
baepkana |
|
Erg |
kuoruo |
pienuo |
baepkuo |
|
All |
kuorie |
pienie |
baepkie |
|
Ins |
kuoraca |
pienaca |
baepkaca |
|
Lat |
kuorax |
pienax |
baepkax |
|
Csn |
kuoral |
pienal |
baepkal |
3. Ablaut but no extension. Historically, ablaut has two sources: ancient Nakh-Daghestanian alternations and more recent alternations that arose when the stem vowel took on the height, frontness, or rounding of the vowel of the ending (which subsequently changed to -a-, obscuring the conditioning environment). Synchronically, these are all vowel alternations and they are grouped together here without regard to the antiquity of the alternation.
|
|
knife |
grass |
wild boar |
trunk |
shrub |
|
Nom |
urs |
buc |
nal |
ghad |
koll |
|
Gen |
yrsan |
becan |
nelan |
ghodan |
kullan |
|
Dat |
yrsana |
becana |
nelana |
ghodana |
kullana |
|
Erg |
yrsuo |
becuo |
neluo |
ghoduo |
kulluo |
|
All |
yrsie |
becie |
nelie |
ghodie |
kullie |
|
Ins |
yrsca |
becaca |
nelca |
ghodaca |
kullaca |
|
Lat |
yrsax |
becax |
nelax |
ghodax |
kullax |
|
Csn |
yrsal |
becal |
nelal |
ghodal |
kullal |
|
|
light |
deer |
army |
|
Nom |
sa |
sai |
bwo |
|
Gen |
sin |
seen |
bwan |
|
Dat |
sina |
seena |
bwana |
|
Erg |
sinuo |
seenuo |
bwanuo |
|
All |
sinie |
seega |
bwanie |
|
Ins |
sica |
seeca |
bwaca |
|
Lat |
six |
seex |
bwax |
|
Csn |
sil |
seel |
bwal |
Some consonant-final nouns combine ablaut with lengthening of the vowel in the oblique cases:
|
|
lion |
hole |
lake |
|
Nom |
lom |
or |
waam |
|
Gen |
loeman |
uuran |
wooman |
|
Dat |
loemana |
uurana |
woomana |
|
Erg |
loemuo |
uuruo |
woomuo |
|
All |
loemie |
uurie |
woomie |
|
Ins |
loemaca |
uuraca |
woomaca |
|
Lat |
loemax |
uurax |
woomax |
|
Csn |
loemal |
uural |
woomal |
Most nouns with ablaut have one vowel in the nominative and another in all the oblique forms, but a few have the changed vowel in only some of the oblique cases, or two different vowels in different oblique cases.
|
|
person |
wolf |
|
Nom |
stag |
borz |
|
Gen |
stegan |
berzan |
|
Dat |
stagana |
berzana |
|
Erg |
staguo |
barzuo |
|
All |
stagie |
barzie |
|
Ins |
stagaca |
barzaca |
|
Lat |
|
barzax |
|
Csn |
|
barzal |
7. –n- extension, no ablaut. All nouns with this extension end in vowels.
|
|
bison |
steppe |
|
Nom |
bula |
aarie |
|
Gen |
bulan/bulanan |
aarienan |
|
Dat |
bulanna |
aarianna |
|
Erg |
bulanuo |
aarienuo |
|
All |
bulanie |
aarienie |
|
Ins |
bulanca |
aarianca |
|
Lat |
bulanax |
aarienax |
|
Csn |
bulanal |
aarienal |
8. –n extension and ablaut. Most nouns of this type are monosyllables.
|
|
aspen |
house |
roof |
board |
head of grain |
|
Nom |
max |
c'a |
txou |
u |
ka |
|
Gen |
moxan |
c'iinan |
txeunan |
ynan |
keena |
|
Dat |
moxanna |
c'ianna |
txeunna |
ynna |
kanna |
|
Erg |
moxanuo |
c'iinuo |
txeunuo |
ynuo |
keenuo |
|
All |
moxanie |
c'iinie |
txeunie |
ynie |
keenie |
|
Ins |
moxanca |
c'iinaca |
txeunaca |
ynca |
keenaca |
|
Lat |
moxanax |
c'iinax |
txeunax |
ynax |
keenax |
|
Csn |
moxanal |
c'iinal |
txeunal |
ynal |
keenal |
9. –chu- extension. This extension occurs on nouns referring to humans (chiefly derived nouns with the suffixes –xuo, -luo, and –chuo/chii) and on nominalized participles (the second row below). The nominalized participles, which can be calqued 'one who is older', 'that which is true', etc., contain a suffixed form of the verb 'be', which agrees in gender. 'Elder' below is cited in V gender; 'truth' is lexicalized in D gender.
|
|
friend |
teacher |
worker |
Chechen |
|
Nom |
dottagh |
hwiexarxuo |
belxaluo |
noxchi |
|
Gen |
dottaghchyn |
hwiexarxuochyn |
belxaluochyn |
noxchichyn |
|
Dat |
dottaghchunna |
hwiexarxuochunna |
belxaluochunna |
noxchichunna |
|
Erg |
dottaghchuo |
hwiexarxuochuo |
belxaluochuo |
noxchichuo |
|
All |
dottaghchynga |
hwiexarxuochynga |
belxaluochynga |
noxchichynga |
|
Ins |
dottaghchynca |
hwiexarxuochynca |
belxaluochynca |
noxchichynca |