The senses of illative and lative case in the Mordvin languages

Erkkila, Riku (2022): The senses of illative and lative case in the Mordvin languages. In: Journal of Estonian & Finno-Ugric Linguistics / Eesti Ja Soome-Ugri Keeleteaduse Ajakiri, Bd. 13, Nr. 2: S. 307-345

Abstract

In this paper, I study the difference between the two GoAL-cases of the Mordvin languages, namely, the illative and the lative. A spatial case system with two productive GoAL-cases but only one case for each of the other spatial relations (i.e., LoCATIoN, souRCE, and PATH) is a rare phenomenon in languages. To explain this situation, I study the semantics of the cases. I analyze the senses of the two cases, i.e., I study what meanings are expressed by them, and compare the semantic structures of the cases. Both of the cases are used to express mostly the same senses, but the frequencies of the senses differ between the cases. To explain this, I employ the concept of specificity. Specificity refers to the phenomenon where a relation between Trajector and Landmark is conceptualized as either more or less specific. The comparison of the semantics of the two cases reveals that the illative is used with more and the lative with less specific conceptualizations.

• Dokumententyp: Zeitschriftenartikel
• Fakultät: Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaften > Department 1
• Themengebiete: 400 Sprache > 400 Sprache
• ISSN: 1736-8987
• Sprache: Englisch