Noun Cases


There are 24 cases in Avar - 4 cardinal cases and 5x4 sets of locative endings.

The formation of the cases can be summed up in the following chart:

Nominative > Ergative > Locative (Series I)
  Genitive > Locative (Series II-V)
  Dative  

Thus, the ergative form is the oblique "root" from which all the other forms are derived.

Grammatical cases

The four main cases are: Nominative, Ergative, Genitive and Dative.
The Nominative is the bare stem of the noun, and the one listed in dictionaries.
The oblique cases - Ergative, Genitive and Dative are formed on the base of the oblique stem, which is basically the Ergative in Class 1/2 and the Ergative minus the ergative ending for Class 3 nouns.
The 3 declension classes:

Class 1

Masculine nouns (в class) add ending -ас

вехь shepherd > вехьас
вас boy/son > васас
хIалтIухъан (male) worker > хIалтIухъанас

Russian loans ending in a soft sign drop this:
учитель teacher > учителас

One important exception - эмен "father" - is declined as Class 3, using the oblique stem инсу-ца

Class 2

Feminine (й class) and most neuter (б class) nouns add ending -лъ

эбел mother > эбелалъ
яс girl/daughter > ясалъ

most "unisex" nouns are conjugated as feminine if they refer to females:

хIалтIухъан-ас (male) worker > хIалтIухъан-алъ (female) worker

in words ending in a vowel the buffer consonant й comes between the suffix and the root:
чи man > чияс
чIужу woman > чIужуялъ

Class 1 and 2 are productive - most loan words are declined according to these paradigms.

Class 3

Archaic nouns - oblique stem + ending -ца

These nouns require the addition of an oblique extension, which often triggers vowel shifts and other stem changes.

The following endings are used:

-и- (this one usually causes a root vowel е, and more rarely o, to change into а)

квен food кван-и-(ца)
туманкI rifle тункI-и-
хъазан cauldron хъазн-и-

-о- (which causes the root vowel to turn into о)

гъветI tree гъотI-о-(ца)
мугь grain могь-о-

-у-

эмен father инс-у-(ца)
гIор river гIор-у-
рагъ war рагъ-у-

this suffix is also typical of verbal nouns ending in и:

хIалтIи work (from хIалтIизе to work) хIалтI-у-ца

-а-
жал mane жал-а-(ца)
къед wall къад-а-
къулъун rag къулън-а-

-ду- (roots ending in a vowel or sonorant usually drop this and and shift е > а)

raven нухъа-ду(-ца)
rope рижу-ду-
лъимер child > лъима-ду-
тукен store > тука-ду-

-да- (which causes the final vowel and, more rarely, a nasal consonant, to drop off)

росу village рос-да-(ца)
гIака cow гIак-да-

-зу-

Rare suffixes, only a few examples:

-ро- моцI-ро-ца moon, month

-лу-

мухь-лу- плата

нух-лу- road time

the ergative case of first names is also formed with the suffix ца, with the extension -и- after consonants:

ГIали Ali (man's name) ГIали-ца
Асма Asma (female name) Асма-ца
Шарип Sharip (~ Sharif) (m.) Шарип-и-ца
ПатIимат Patimat (~ Fatima) (f.) ПатIимат-и-ца

Plurals of all nouns form their ergative/oblique case by replacing the plural ending with -(а)з.

The dative case is marked with the suffix -е, added to the ergative form of 1st and 2nd declension nouns, and directly to the oblique stem of 3rd declension nouns:

Genitive ending -ул is added directly to the ergative of Class 1/2 nouns; for Class 3, -л is added to the oblique stem.

Functions of the cases


The Nominative (or Absolutive)

1. marks the subject of an intransitive verb

2. some transitives

3. More often it is the object of transitive verbs (where the subject is put in the ergative case)

The ergative case has two main functions

1. it marks the subject of a transitive verb

инсуца гъветI къотIана father cut the tree

2. it marks the agent - an object by which something is accomplished.

гьес *гIощтIоца* гъветI къотIана he cut the tree *with an axe*

Dative case is used for indirect objects, showing to/for whom an action is directed:

вехьасе цидуе

the subject of the verb бокьизе to like/love

дие бокьула "to-me is-pleasing"

and other similar costructions

The Genitive, as its name implies, indicates possession

but it has many other functions as well.

Locative cases

There are five series of locative cases:

I (Superessive) on a flat surface -дa
II (Apudessive) at/near/in the vicinity of -хъ
III (Interessive) in -лъ
IV (Subessive) under -кь
V (Inessive) inside a hollow space -б

Each of these series is further subdivided into four "dimensions":

1. Locative. Location - resting at, in, or on an object (no ending)
2. Allative. Destination - motion towards (to where/whither?) ending -e
3. Elative (or Ablative). Source - motion from (from where/whence?) -[с]а
4. Translative (or Perlative). Path - motion through -[с]ан

Case Ending Approximate meaning Example
Series I ("ON")
Superessive -да on Столалда тIехь буго - There is a book on the table.
Superlative -де on(to) Столалде тIехь лъе - Put the book on the table.
Superelative -даса off of ("from on") Столалдаса тIехь босе - Take the book off the table.
Supertranslative -дасан through ("through on") Дун Хунзахъе Гъунисан вачIана - I came to Khunzakh through Gunib.
Series II ("AT")
Apudessive -хъ at/near Вацасухъ чу буго - Brother has a horse (lit. "at/near brother is horse").
Apudlative -хъе "near to" Вацасухъе дица чу бачина - I lead the horse [near] to [my] brother.
Apudelative -хъа "from near" Вацасухъа дица чу босила - I will take the horse away from my brother.
Apudtranslative -хъан "through near" Досухъан дие тIехь щвана - I got the book from ("through") him.
Series III ("IN")
Intereressive -лъ in Гьаб росулъ кIудиялб колхоз буго - There is a big kolkhoz in this village.
Interlative -лъе into Вац росулъе ана - Brother went [in]to the village.
Interelative -лъа out of ("from in") Вац росулъа вачIана - Brother came out of the village.
Intertranslative -лъан "through in" Ракьулъан тIегь баккана - The flower appeared from out of the ground.
Series IV ("UNDER")
Subessive -кь under Гьаб ганчIикь борохь буго - There is a snake under this stone.
Sublative -кье "to under" Гьаб ганчIикье борохь ана - The snake went (crawled) under this stone.
Subelative -кьа from under Гьаб ганчIикьа борохь ана - The snake came out from under this stone.
Subtranslative -кьан "through under" ГанчIикьан борохь хъурщун ана - The snake crawled ["through"] under this stone.
Series V ("INSIDE")
Inessive -б inside Рокъоб дир тIехь буго - My book is in[side] the house.
Illative -бе into Рокъобе тIехь босана - (They) took the book home/into the house.
Inelative -са out of Рокъоса дир вац ана. - My brother came out of the house.
Intranslative -сан through (in) Рокъосан дихъе хабар щвечIо. I didn't get any news from home.

Apart from indicating spatial relationships, many of these suffixes also have purely grammatical functions.

Paradigm tables

Case Class 1 Class 2 Class 3 Class 3 (personal names)
Nominative гьалмагъ "friend" чIужу "woman" туманкI "rifle" ПатIимат "Patimat"
Ergative гьалмагъас чIужуялъ тункIица ПатIиматица
Dative гьалмагъасе чIужуялъе тункIие ПатIиматие
Genitive гьалмагъасул чIужуялъул тункIил ПатIиматил
Loc. Series I гьалмагъасда чIужуялда тункIида ПатIиматида
All. Series I гьалмагъасде чIужуялде тункIиде ПатIиматиде
Abl. Series I гьалмагъасдаса чIужуялдаса тункIидаса ПатIиматидаса
Tr. Series I гьалмагъасдасан чIужуялдасан тункIидасан ПатIиматидасан
Loc. Series II гьалмагъасухъ чIужуялъухъ тункIихъ ПатIиматихъ
All. Series II гьалмагъасухъе чIужуялъухъе тункIихъе ПатIиматихъе
Abl. Series II гьалмагъасухъа чIужуялъухъа тункIихъа ПатIиматихъа
Tr. Series II гьалмагъасухъан чIужуялъухъан тункIихъан ПатIиматихъан
Loc. Series III гьалмагъасулъ чIужуялъулъ тункIилъ ПатIиматилъ
All. Series III гьалмагъасулъе чIужуялъулъе тункIилъе ПатIиматилъе
Abl. Series III гьалмагъасулъа чIужуялъулъа тункIилъа ПатIиматилъа
Tr. Series III гьалмагъасулъан чIужуялъулъан тункIилъан ПатIиматилъан
Loc. Series IV гьалмагъасукь чIужуялъукь тункIикь ПатIиматикь
All. Series IV гьалмагъасукье чIужуялъукье тункIикье ПатIиматикье
Abl. Series IV гьалмагъасукьа чIужуялъукьа тункIикьа ПатIиматикьа
Tr. Series IV гьалмагъасукьан чIужуялъукьан тункIикьан ПатIиматикьан
Loc. Series V гьалмагъасулъу(б) чIужуялъулъу(б) тункIи(б) ПатIимати(б)
All. Series V гьалмагъасулъу(б)е чIужуялъулъу(б)е тункIи(б)е ПатIимати(б)е
Abl. Series V гьалмагъасулъуса чIужуялъулъуса тункIиса ПатIиматиса
Tr. Series V гьалмагъасулъусан чIужуялъулъусан тункIисан ПатIиматисан

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