Case MarkingCase Marking of Asamiya in of Asamiya in comparison with Bangla comparison with Bangla for for animateanimate and and inanimateinanimate objects objects

BORNINI LAHIRI

M.PHIL

CENTRE FOR LINGUISTICS

JNU

Introduction Introduction Linguistically, Asamiya and Bangla

are quite similar to each-other.

Basically because:1.Descendent of Magadhi Prakrit2.Member of Outer Indo-Aryan group3.Member of Eastern group of Indo-

Aryan languages.

Similarity in Case Marking Similarity in Case Marking featurefeature They share-1.Most of the cases, though they are realized differently through affixation and postpositions.

2.Usage of non-cannonical case marking

3.Feature of differentiating animate and inanimate object through case marking for some of the cases.

What is case?What is case? Blake- “ Case is a system of marking

dependent nouns for the type of relationship they bear to their heads”.

Generally case is marked by an affix or a complete word. At times both are needed to realize one case. Sometimes affixes are needed for adpositions to occur.

One case-marking may serve different cases at different times.

Cases Which are Overtly Cases Which are Overtly MarkedMarkedin Asamiya and Banglain Asamiya and BanglaCases Marked Asamiya Bangla

Agentive /-e/

Genitive /-ɔr/ /-er/, /-der/, /-kar/, /-ker/

Accusative /-ɔk/ /-ke/

Locative /-ɔt/ /-te/

Instrumental /-ere/, /-di/, /-dara/

/dije/

ACCUSATIVE MARKINGACCUSATIVE MARKING Accusative case is marked by affixation in both the

languages. Asamiya - /-ɔk/ (the vowel drops when the root ends

with a vowel), Bangla - /-ke/

With animate objects:

eg1: lɔra – tu – k tebil-ɔr upor-ɔt thoa (Asamiya) boy-CLA-ACC table-GEN on-LOC keep

Keep the baby on the table.

eg2: bacca – ta - ke tebil-er opor-e rakho(Bangla)

child-CLA-ACC table-GEN on-LOC rakhoKeep the baby on the table.

With Inanimate ObjectsWith Inanimate ObjectsBoth the languages drop its

accusative case marking when the object is inanimate.

eg3: kitab-khon tebil-r upor-ɔt thoa (A) book –CLA table-GEN on-LOC keep

Keep the book on the table.

kitab-khon-ɔk tebil-r upor-ɔt thoa *

eg4: boi-ta tebil-er opor-e rakho (B) book –CLA table-GEN on-LOC keep

Keep the book on the table.

With Bangla With Bangla Inanimate Inanimate ObjectsObjectsboi-ta-ke tebil-er opor-e rakho (NOT

GOOD)

book-CLA-ACC table-GEN on-LOC keepKeep the book on the table.

boi-ke tebil-er opor-e rakho *book-ACC table-GEN on-LOC keep

Keep the book on the table.

In Bangla accusative case can be used at times with an inanimate object to get animate reading. But an inanimate object can never take an accusative marker without any classifier.

eg5: putul-ta-ke dekhli?(B) doll-CLA-ACC see?

Did you see the doll? Here the doll is taken as an animate object.

Generally one will say:putul-ta dekhli?

With Bangla Inanimate Objects contd

With Bangla With Bangla Inanimate Inanimate Objects Objects contdcontd

eg6: bostu-ti-ke dekhli? (B) thing-CLA-ACC see?

Did you see the thing?

In this sentence the use of /–ke/ gives the sense that some animate object is being referred as a thing. May be to make fun of it. But such use of accusative marking is not allowed in Asamiya.

LocativeLocative MarkingMarkingLocative case is marked to the noun in whose respect the location is being told. It is marked by suffix in both the languages.

Asamiya : /-ɔt/ Bangla: /-te/

With inanimate objects:

eg7: kitap-tu bakos-ɔt ase(A) book-CLA box-LOC be The book is in the box.

eg8: boi-ta bakɔs-e ace(B)

book-CLA box-LOC beThe book is in the box.

LocativeLocative Marking with Marking with Animate Animate ObjectsObjects

Locative maker cannot be attached directly to the animate object. Locative marker can get attached to a specific location like

majh-ɔt (A) majh-e (B) (middle+LOC=between),

upor-ɔt (A) opor-e (B) (top+LOC =on top),

LocativeLocative Marking with Marking with Animate Animate Objects Objects CONTDCONTD

eg9 tumi mu-r-tat ki dekhile? (A)

You I-GEN-LOC what see what you saw in me?

eg10 tumi ama-r modh-e ki dekhle (B)

you I-GEN in-LOC what see what you saw in me?

Locative marker for animate comes after genitive marker.

In Asamiya if locative marker is used with animates then the sentence becomes ungrammatical whereas in Bangla it gives different meanings but not that of locative.

eg11: kukur-e kamre dæe dog - LOC bite give Dogs bite. (GENERIC)

Locative Marking with Animate Objects

Locative Marking of Bangla Locative Marking of Bangla with with Animate ObjectsAnimate Objects

eg12: dui bondhu-te jhogra two friend- LOC fight

There is a dispute between the two friends. (COUPLED RECIPROCAL)

eg13: o ama-e/-ke bollo he/she I-LOC/-ACC said

He/she told me. (ACC-DAT)

Instrumental MarkingInstrumental MarkingWhen an object helps in doing a work then it takes instrumental case in these two languages. It is marked in Asamiya by suffix /-ere/ & /-di/ when the object is animate & /-dara/ when the object is inanimate.eg14: kamkora-zuali-joni-dara sapha kora working-girl-CLA-INST clean do

Get it cleaned by the maid.

eg15: jaru –ri sapha kora broom-INST clean do

Get it cleaned by a broom

Instrumental Instrumental contdcontd

In Bangla when the object is inanimate then the postposition /dije/ is used. But when the object is animate then accusative marking /-ke/ is used before /dije/.

eg16: jharu dije jhat deao broom INST sweep give Get it swept by the broom.

eg17: dai-ke dije jhat deao maid-ACC INST sweep give Get it swept by the maidservant.

Conclusion Conclusion In Asamiya out of five case markers

of different cases, case markers of three cases distinguish between animate and inanimate objects.

In Bangla case markers of every cases except Genitive case dintinguishes between animate and inanimate objects.

Conclusion Conclusion CONTDCONTD

Bangla genitive case marker distinguishes between plural human and non-human.

For plural human /-der/ is used while for all other instances /-r/ is used.

Conclusion Conclusion CONTDCONTD

Cases show perception of the language so the same relation between two objects in different languages is realized through different cases.

It can be said that Asamiya and Bangla perceives difference between animate and inanimate objects which along with classifiers is also realized through cases.