ünite üç Objective relational morpheme (dative and accusative cases, direct and indirect object); locative relational morpheme; ablative relational mo

UNIT THREE

Objective relational morpheme (dative and accusative cases, direct and indirect object); locative relational morpheme; ablative relational morpheme.

Objective Relational Morpheme

The function of the objective relational morpheme in Chuvash combines most features of the dative and accusative cases of other languages, or the functions of direct and indirect object, hence the name, objective relational, as indicating the objects of action, direct or indirect
The objective relational morpheme in Chuvash is {-(n)A}, and as in the preceding lesson, we shall employ here too morphophonemic symbols to indicate the various allomorphs (which exist for the most part under the same conditions as for the genitive morpheme).

1	Zero allomorph with all stems
2	After polysyllabic consonant sterns, and some monosyllabic	.A
3	After polysyllabic vocalic stems, except in -i, -U, and -ă/-ĕ	.nA
4	After native and foreign Sterns in -i	.ye
5	After sterns in -U, employing their stem alternant in -ăv/-ĕv	.A
6	After polysyllabic vowel stems in –C1Ă	C1C1.A
7	After polysyllabic vowel stems in –C1C2Ă	C1C2.A
8	After borrowed stems in -a, -ya and some in -o	ă.na
9	After borrowed stems in other vowels (- V) and some in -o	V.na
10	After some monosyllabic consonant stems	C1C1.a

The objective relational morpheme has the function of indicating the person or object to or for which something is done, as well as indicating the actual object of action, in the event that this is a definite and specific object. Some instances of the various allomorphs are:

 arman  mill    a1ăk  door
 armana  to a mill, the mill  a1ăka  to a door, the door
 tir  leather, hide   kukăl‘  pie
 tire  to leather   kukăle  to a pie, the pie
 uj  fieid    sij  layer
 uje  to the field   sije  to a layer
 parti  political party   lasha  horse
 partije  to the party   lashana  to a horse, the horse
 ĕne  cow    shăshi  a mouse
 ĕnene  to a cow, the cow  shăshije to a mouse
 kinona  to the movies   obshchestvăna to society
 stsenăna to the stage   idejăna  to an idea

  mashinăna benzin jană  they put gas in the machine
  udarniksene premi pană they give prizes to shock workers
  Petĕre kĕneke kirlĕ pulnă Peter needs a book (to P. a book is needed)

When the object of action is general and unspecified, the zero allomorph is employed.

When the object is enumerated, or specific and definite, the appropriate other allomorph is used.

The indefinite accusative thus coincides at this point with the so-called absolute case.

According to some, the indefinite accusative enables the object to stand in a particular and dose
relationship to its verb, thus:

epĕ kĕneke iltĕm

I bought a book, in the sense ‘I did bookbuying, I book-bought‘

But:

 epĕ şakă kĕnekene iletĕp I buy this book
 vĕreneken himi kĕnekine vulat the student reads the chemistry book

Notice:

 epĕ matematika vĕrenetĕp  I study mathematics

The dative function of “to“ is also performed by this morpheme.

 epir irpe Shupashkara şitrĕmĕr we came to Cheboksary in the morning
 kile    home, homewards (Ger. nach Hause, Russ.  domoi)

This morpheme is also used to indicate the specific length of time, and other expressions of

quantity and duration:

 vută pĕr ujăxa şitet  the firewood will hold out for a month
 kanashlu vişĕ kuna pyrat the conference will last  three days
 şĕr tenke patăm   sold for 100 rubles

Note the following instance of definite vs. indefinite:

 kĕneke vulat  he reads books, he reads a book
    (or books in general as a practice)
 ku kĕnekene vulat he is reading the book 
    (some particular one,  perhaps previously mentioned)

Some particular cases of formation should be mentioned. The disyllabic stems in -a/-ĕ

employ a stem alternation which geminates the consonant preceding, to which a full-length a or e

is then added. Thus:

 pulă fish   jytă dog
 pulla the fish, to a fish jytta the dog, to a dog
 külĕ a lake   külle to a lake,  the lake

Also:

 şyn a man   şynna the man, to a man
 tir grain   tirra the grain, to grain

Stems which already end in two consonants (CC) plus a reduced vowel add one unit of length, thus,

/purtă/ ‘axe‘ > /purta/ the axe (acc.). However, Russian loans, particularly in -a and –ja

shorten this vowel to -~ă or -jă after which the regular ending –na is added.
As in the case of the genitive morpheme, stems in -u/-ü employ their stern alternate in

-ăv/-ĕv, thus:

 pĕlü  fact   şyru letter
 pĕlĕve  the fact (acc.)  şyrăva the letter (acc.)

Locative Relational Morpheme

The locative relational morpheme is used in the function of indicating the place where something is or where an action takes place, thus corresponding in general to the use of “in“ in English. It is both temporal and spatial in reference. The morpheme is {-R.A}, with the following allomorphs:

1.After front vowel sterns and consonant stems except /l n r/
 -re
2.After back vowel sterns and consonant stems except /l n r/
 -ra
3.After front vowel consonant stems in /l n r/
 -te
4.After back vowel consonant stems in /l n r/ 
 -ta
5.After possessives (to be learned later) and the plural morpheme {-seN}
 - ce (only)
6.After the 3rd p. sg. possessive morpheme (will be discussed later)
 -nce

Note that stems in –ă/-ĕ which bad some changes in the genitive and accusative cases, do not have these changes in the locative, or in any other case. Foreign words, usually in -a or -ja, do, however, employ a stern alternant shortening the vowels to -ă‚ viz., stsenăra ‘on the stage,‘ or idejăra ‘in the idea,‘ but kinora ‘in the movies.‘ Some instances of use of the various allomorphs are the following:

 shyvra  in the water  Atălta   on the Volga
 tinĕsre  at sea, on the sea Xusanta  in Kazan
 vărmanta  in the woods  pürtre  in the house
 ujra   on the field  kilte  at home

  ernere şichĕ kun in the week are seven days

 pulăra  in the fish  şyrura  in the letter
 külĕre  in the lake  pĕlüre  in the fact, matter

  alăkra   in the door
  alăksenche  in the doors (from * alăk-sen-te)
  slon Indire puranat the elephant lives in India

Somewhat similar endings are employed on the pronouns (to be treated later), as manra ‘in me‘ (note n + r!).

 lesh tencere  to that world
 lupashkara  in the ravine
 hirte   in the field

Ablative Relational Morpheme

The ablative morpheme is used in the general meaning of English “from,“ or “out of, owing to, because of.“ Its endings are exactly like those of the preceding locative case, except that they affix an -n, thus, -ren, -ran, -ten, -tan, -chen. There are quite a few uses of the ablative, and not every type can be covered here.

A. The English general usage of “from” to indicate distance in space and time;

 turan   from the mountain   alăkran  from the door

 jultashran şyru iltĕm    I got a letter from (my) friend
 achasem ujran checheksem tatsa kilchĕş  the boys brought flowers from the field

B. Material from which things are made or the place from which things are taken.

 jyvăşran tună pürt  a hut made from wood
 Atăltan tytnă pulă  a fish taken from the Volga

C. In use with expressions of time, the ablative often has the effect of English ‘in“ with a future meaning, as “in a month, in a few days we will do it.“

 ülemren   in the future
 ujăχran   in a month
 vişĕ kuntan  in three days
 pĕr seχetren  after an hour

D. Some functions of the Instrumental (Unit Four) can be found with the ablative, and may be translated “by, through, via, by means of, owing to.“

 sassăran   by (one‘s) voice
 kürshĕren   by a neighbor, in company, with a neighbor
 alăkran kĕr-   to enter by the door
 chürecheren păχ-  to look from the window

E. A very important use of the ablative is a making comparisons, to mean “than.“

 juman şăkaran jyvăr  oak is heavier than linden
     (lit. “Oak from linden is  heavy“)
 utran şüle, kurăkran lutra  “Higher than a horse, lower than the grass“
     (Folk-riddle: Answer: ‘saddle‘)
 yrăran yră   best of all
     (lit. “good from good,“ i. e., better than good)
 Atăl şavaltan pysăk  the Volga is bigger than  the Tsivil

F. Sometimes still other words must be used as the English equivalents of the Chuvash ablative.

 vişĕ yvăltan pĕri  one of my three Sons
 acha lashinchen yjtnă  the boy asked (inquired of) his horse
 suhaltan   (seized him) by the beard (lit. “from the beard“)
 kuşran nachar   weak in the eyes
 şukran    on account of there not  being any
 sivĕren    on account of the cold