Cases §

Kaitag has five main abstract cases.

There're also three locative cases with their own distinct usecases. <! #TODO link >

Absolutive §

Absolutive case is the basic form of a word, used in the following contexts:

1. Agent of intransitive verbs & copulas:

   • дярья цяун — the child came
   • бизи бегур — the cat left
   • атта улшу — father works
   • машин би — there's a car

2. Patient of transitive verbs:

   • дярьял бизи чибажив — a child saw a cat
   • аттал шин китьул це — father is pouring water
   • дул беччив исттикан — the glass that I gave

3. Addressing:

   • дярья, ця — child, come
   • атта, хурег би — father, the meal's there

Ergative §

The ergative is marked with -ли or -л after vowels. The two main uses are:

1. Agent of transitive verbs:

   • ил шин катьивде — you poured the water
   • бизил цябунте чибажив — the cat those who came
   • аттал исттикан беччив — father gave a glass
   • дул хурег баривда — I prepared a meal

2. Expression of cause:

   • хурегли велҡҡун — satiated by the meal
   • ккишал увкьул — dying of hunger

Additional uses include:

3. The verb "to fill":

   • шинел бицьив исттикан — the glass filled with water

4. Profession:

   • атта тухтурли улшу — father works as a doctor

5. Duration:

   • ца сяятли хурег барив — prepared the meal in an hour

6. Marking a tool, although comitative case is more often used here:

   • исттиканли катьив — poured with a glass

Genitive §

The genitive is formed by -ла. The main use corresponds to English of or 's:

1. Relation & possession:
   • дярьяла атта — the childs father
   • аттала машин — my father=='s== car
   • дила бизи — my cat
   • ила хурег чибаживда — I saw your meal

The genitive of the personal pronoun ду 'I' is дила 'my'.

2. Content & substance:

   • шинела исттикан — a glass of water
   • урцулла курси — wooden chair
   • дигула хурег — meat dish

3. Most postpositions: <! #TODO link >

   • курсинла че — above the chair
   • ила ьереғ — after you
   • машинла мяҡье — next to the car

4. Temporal expressions: <! #TODO link >

   • ниснала вегур — he left on the evening
   • атта цеғивла — since== father arrived (uses verb aorist) <! #TODO link >

Dative §

The dative is marked by -й after vowels, -жи after л/й, and -и otherwise. It combines abstract and locative uses:

1. Target of some transitive verbs, like "to" or "for":
   • аттай бесун — sent to father
   • шиней вегур — left for water (i.e. to bring some)
   • цяунилжи катьивда — poured for the one who came
   • дами хурег барив — cooked meal for me

These two personal pronouns have irregular dative forms:

• ду 'I' → дами 'me'
• и 'you (sg.)' → етти '(to) you'

2. Location at the surface (see locative cases <! #TODO link >):
   • курсини кижив — sat on the chair

The widspread earlier dative form with -ж-:

• аттай ← аттаж
• курсини ← курсинжи
• етти ← еттижи
• дами ← дамижи

3. Certain destinations of motion (see locative cases <! #TODO link >):
   • еркьи вегур — left to the river
   • янццей — to the spring
   • хяви — to the grave

Instead of -и also variant -е is used: хяви = хяве.

1. Temporal meaning "by":
   • атта цеғарай — by the time father arrives (uses verb infinitive) <! #TODO link >
   • ниснай — by the event
   • сяят цалжи — by one o'clock
   • сяят уғи — by four o'clock

Comitative §

The comitative suffix is marked by suffix -ццил. It has three distinct usecases:

1. Marking tools:

   • и исттиканццил катьивде — you poured with a glass
   • машинццил регур — she left by car
   • атта урцулццил улшу — father works with wood
   • ил дами беччивилццил баривда — I did with what you gave me

2. Marking co-actors:

   • дярья бизиццил виргул це — the child's playing with the cat
   • шинеццил цяун — he came with water (i.e. brought some)
   • аттаццил вегурда — I left with father
   • цяунилццил ғай кикьул де — he was talking to the one who came

The suffix has variants -ццелли, -ццер.

3. Conveying meaning "from":
   • аттаццил баьурда — I learned from my father
   • шилццил цябун — they came from the village
   • машинццил курчьив — he got out of the car

This can be expressed analytically using the particle тта: шилццил = шилцци тта.