User:Jpbrenna/Ossetic grammar

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[edit] General characteristics

[edit] Morphology

Abaev observes three parts-of-speech in Ossetic: substantive (nouns, adjectives & numerals); verbs, and uninflected words. He finds no basis in morphology for classifying adverbs and postpositions separately from substantives [1]

[edit] Substantives

Like its Iranian cousin, Modern Persian, and its more distant relative, English, Ossetic lacks grammatical gender. Moreover, the pronoun system does not distinguish feminine and masculine gender pronouns (уый [wyj] — he/she/it); this`occurs because modern Ossetic pronouns evolved from earlier demonstrative pronouns (this/that).

[edit] Nouns

[edit] Declension of nouns
Nominal inflection in Ossetic for bæx ("horse")
Dialectal variants: (I)=Iron, (D)=Digor[2]
Case Singular Plural
Nominative bæx bæx-t-æ
Genitive bæx-y (I)
bæx-i (D)		 bæx-y (I)
bæx-i (D)
Dative bæx-æn bæx-t-æn
Dative bæx-mæ bæx-t-æm (I)
bæx-t-æmæ (D)
Ablative bæx-æj bæx-t-æj
Inessive bæx-y (I)
bæx-i (D)		 bæx-t-y (I)
bæx-t-i (D)
Adessive bæx-yl (I)
bæx-bæl (D)		 bæx-t-yl (I)
bæx-tæ-bæl (D)
Comitative bæx-imæ (I)
bæx-i xæccæ (D)		 bæx-t-imæ (I)
bæx-t-i xæccæ (D)
Equative bæx-au bæx-t-au

[edit] Verbs

[edit] Uninflected words

[edit] Syntax

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ V.I Abaev, "A Grammatical Sketch of Ossetic," trans. Stephen P. Hill, ed. Herbert H. Paper, International Journal of American Linguistics, vol. 30, no. 4, October, 1964, p. 12
  2. ^ Ronald Kim, Journal of the American Oriental Society; Jan-Mar2003, Vol. 123 Issue 1, p43 Accessed July 31, 2006