Verse:Mwail/Tucootka/Lexicon: Difference between revisions

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==Nouns==
==Nouns==
{{PAGENAME}} nouns decline in definiteness, three numbers (singular, dual and plural), and four cases (nominative, genitive-accusative, dative, instrumental-locative). Unusually for a modern Semitic language, case distinctions are productive and mandatory. There is no counterpart to the construct state or possessed forms of other Semitic languages (The {{PAGENAME}} forms are from the original construct state forms); however, the possessor always follows the noun.
{{PAGENAME}} nouns decline in definiteness, three numbers (singular, dual and plural), and four cases (nominative, genitive-accusative, dative, instrumental-locative). Unusually for a modern Semitic language, case plays a very important and productive role. There is no counterpart to the construct state or possessed forms of other Semitic languages (The {{PAGENAME}} forms are from the original construct state forms); however, the possessor always follows the noun.


{{PAGENAME}} nouns are notable for inheriting the oldest version of the Proto-Semitic case system, the diptotic (two-case) system, with nominative singular ''-''Ø < {{recon|''-ъ''}} < PSem {{recon|''-u''}} and genitive/accusative singular ''-o'' < PSem {{recon|''-a''}}. Feminine singular nominative {{recon|''-atu''}} was changed to {{recon|''-ā''}} > ''-a'' under Indo-European influence. The dative and instrumental/locative are older than the definite affixes and were formed by suffixing inflected forms of the prepositions *la 'to' and *bi 'with/by, in'. This means that overall, the fusional nature of the Semitic nominal declension is well-preserved.
{{PAGENAME}} nouns are notable for inheriting the oldest version of the Proto-Semitic case system, the diptotic (two-case) system, with nominative singular ''-''Ø < {{recon|''-ъ''}} < PSem {{recon|''-u''}} and genitive/accusative singular ''-o'' < PSem {{recon|''-a''}}. Feminine singular nominative {{recon|''-atu''}} was changed to {{recon|''-ā''}} > ''-a'' under Indo-European influence. The dative and instrumental/locative are older than the definite affixes and were formed by suffixing inflected forms of the prepositions *la 'to' and *bi 'with/by, in'. This means that overall, the fusional nature of the Semitic nominal declension is well-preserved.