Equative case

The equative case (abbreviated EQU) is a grammatical case prototypically expressing the standard of comparison of equal values ("as… as…"). The equative case has been used in very few languages in history.^{[citation needed]} It was used in the Sumerian language, where it also took on the semantic functions of the essive case ("in the capacity of…") and similative case ("like a…").^[1]

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In Sumerian, the equative was formed by adding the suffix -gin₇ to a noun phrase, for example:

lugal

"king"

→

lugal-gin₇

"king-like", "like a king"

nitah-kalaga

"mighty man"

→

nitah-kalaga-gin₇

"like a mighty man"

In Ossetic, it is formed by adding the suffix -ау [aw]:^[2]

фӕт

"arrow"

→

фӕтау

"arrowlike"

Ницы

фенӕгау

йӕхи

акодта

lit. "nothingseer-like himself made" ("[he or she] pretended to see nothing").

The equative case is also found subdialectally in the Khalkha dialect of Mongolian, where it can be formed by adding the suffixes -цаа [tsaa], -цоо [tsoo], -цээ [tsee] or -цөө [tsöö], depending on the vowel harmony of the noun. It is rare and highly specialized, used exclusively to denote the height or level of an object:^[3]

эрэг

"[river]bank"

→

эрэгцээ

"as high as the bank"

өвдөг

"knee(s)"

→

өвдөгцөө

"up to the height of the knee(s)"

In Archi, a Northeast Caucasian language, the equative case is indicated by the case marker -qʼdi:^[4]

misgin-ni-qʼdi

poor-OBL-EQU

"In the way of the poor."

It is also found in the Turkic Khalaj language and in languages from South America such as Quechua, Aymara, Uro and Cholón.^{[citation needed]}

Sireniki Eskimo had an equative (or comparative) case for describing similarities between nouns.^[5]

See also

References

External links

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