Cases

Kaitag has five main abstract cases.

Cheatsheet
Absolutive intransitive agent: who?	father left
Ergative: / transitive agent: by whom?	father gave
Genitive: possession: of what?	father's car
Dative: // target: to what?	gave to father
Comitative: tool: with what?	left by car

There're also three locative cases with their own usecases.

Glossary

	I, my, (to) me
	you, your, (to) you
	father
	child
	cat
	car
	glass cup
	water
	meal/food
	chair
	came, those who came
	left
	saw
	gave
	did
	poured, pouring
	works, working
	playing

1 Absolutive

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

1. Agent of intransitive verbs & copulas:

   • 
     the child came
   • 
     the cat left
   • 
     father works
   • 
     there's a car

2. Patient of transitive verbs:

   • 
     a child saw a cat
   • 
     father is pouring water
   • 
     the glass that I gave

3. Addressing:

   • 
     child, come
   • 
     father, the meal's there

2 Ergative

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

1. Agent of transitive verbs:

   • 
     you poured the water
   • 
     the cat those who came
   • 
     father gave a glass
   • 
     I prepared a meal

2. Expression of cause:

   • 
     satiated by the meal
   • 
     dying of hunger

Additional uses include:

3. The verb "to fill":

   • 
     the glass filled with water

Attention

The case suffix attaches not directly to but to the word's oblique stem . Similarly, adjectives too require / before cases.

4. Profession:

   • 
     father works as a doctor

5. Duration:

   • 
     prepared the meal in an hour

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

   • 
     poured with a glass

3 Genitive

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

1. Relation & possession:

   • 
     the child's father
   • 
     my father's car
   • 
     my cat
   • 
     I saw your meal

Note

The genitive of the personal pronoun "I" is "my".

2. Content & substance:

   • 
     a glass of water
   • 
     wooden chair
   • 
     meat dish

3. Most postpositions:

   • 
     above the chair
   • 
     after you
   • 
     next to the car

4. Temporal expressions:

   • 
     he left on the evening
   • 
     since father arrived
     Uses verb aorist

4 Dative

The dative is marked by after vowels, after /, and otherwise. It combines abstract and locative uses:

1. Target of some transitive verbs, like "to" or "for":

   • 
     I gave to father
   • 
     left for water (i.e. to bring some)
   • 
     poured for the one who came
   • 
     cooked meal for me

Note

These two personal pronouns have irregular dative forms:

• "I" ➡️ "me"
• "you (sg.)" ➡️ "(to) you"

2. Location on:

   • 
     it's on the chair
   • 
     on the bridge
   • 
     on the table

Note

The widspread earlier dative form with :

• ⬅️
• ⬅️
• ⬅️
• ⬅️

3. Certain destinations of motion:

   • 
     left to the river
   • 
     to the gorge
   • 
     to the grave

Note

Instead of also variant is used:

• 🟰
• 🟰

4. Temporal meaning "by":

   • 
     by the time father arrives
     Uses verb infinitive
   • 
     by the event
   • 
     by one o'clock
   • 
     by four o'clock

5 Comitative

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

1. Marking tools:

   • 
     you poured with a glass
   • 
     she left by car
   • 
     father works with wood
   • 
     I did with what you gave me

2. Marking co-actors:

   • 
     the child's playing with the cat
   • 
     he came with water (i.e. brought some)
   • 
     I left with father
   • 
     he was talking to the one who came

Note

The suffix has variants , .

3. Conveying meaning "from":

   • 
     I learned from my father
   • 
     they came from the village
   • 
     he got out of the car

Attention

The meaning "from" got merged from another, locative cases which many use instead in this context.