Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Case in Answers in my Conlangs

Single-noun answers to questions sometimes in some languages do not necessarily preserve case. If we think of English prepositions as case markers, the two possibilities can be seen below:
Case Preserving:
Q: To where are you going?
A: To Närpes.

Non-case Preserving:
Q: With what are you going to build it?
A: Blood, sweat, tears, nails, wood and a hammer.
My conlangs have slightly differing approaches to responses. Ŋʒädär permits case preservation, but also permits some non-preservation - oblique cases that are not preserved are replaced by the locative, whereas dative, genitive-comitative and complement cases are replaced by the absolutive.
Q: vär xogon t'e-k bürü-ŋö-z
Q:
you house what-instr build-fut*-direct
with what do you intend to build a house?

A1:
altaŋ-rak
A2: altaŋ-ŋa
A: (with|at) brick

* the meaning of -ŋö- varies with the verb root and with surrounding morphemes.
Ćwarmin requires case preservation, except with direct objects and quirky case subjects: for all of these, an answer in the nominative is permitted.
Q: u kar-ar?
Q:
(s)he what-from?where is he from?

A: kirəc-ər
A: from far away

Q: bec kar-ac źarkus-amca
Q: you who-acc meet-recent_past
who did you meet?
A1
: Garan
A2
: Garan-uc
Garan-(acc)
Sargaĺk preserves case except the pegative, which is replaced by the nominative in short answers. 

Dairwueh preserves case except in situations involving quirky case, where the nominative or the accusative can appear instead, depending on whether the noun asked for is subject or object. One minor exception is that nominative interrogative pronouns with transitive verbs can take genitive nouns as answers, if the noun given for the answer is definite.

Finally, Bryatesle does not preserve secondary case ever in short answers. Subjects and objects can preserve case, but may also be marked by nominative (regardless whether it's subject or object, or even quirky case subject or object that is being asked for). The two other cases can be preserved, or be given in the answer in the accusative case.

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