User:AryamanA/Hindustani case markers and postpositions

Hindustani is an Indo-Aryan language with a set of case markers (which are sometimes classified as postpositions) and postpositions that indicate semantic functions of nouns. Hindustani is a lingua franca of Pakistan and Northern India, with two standardised registers: Hindi and Urdu. Grammatical differences between the two are limited, and indicated in this article wherever necessary.

On this page Hindustani is written in "standard orientalist" transcription as outlined in. Being "primarily a system of transliteration from the Indian scripts, [and] based in turn upon Sanskrit" (cf. IAST), these are its salient features: subscript dots for retroflex consonants; macrons for etymologically, contrastively long vowels; h for aspirated plosives; and tildes for nasalised vowels.

Case markers
All case markers take a head noun in the oblique case. See for information on how case is marked directly on nouns.

ne
The ergative case marker ne generally marks the subject of a transitive verb in the perfective aspect. Hindi displays split ergative alignment; in non-perfective aspects, the subject is not marked by any case marker.


 * 'I saw him/her/it.'

Certain transitive verbs never take the ergative case for their subjects however. Among these, lists lanā 'to bring', khelnā 'to play', bolnā 'to speak' (but not kahnā with the same meaning), bhūlnā 'to forget', and baknā 'to chatter'.

Additionally, "bodily-emission" verbs (such as cīkhnā 'to scream', mūtnā 'to urinate') can optionally take the ergative marking on their subjects, which is associated with greater volition on behalf of the subject. In some dialects of Hindustani, this volitionality alternation is also permitted on constructions where the subject desires to do an action:


 * 'I want to go.'
 * 'I must go.' or 'I want to go.'

Finally, the aspectual light verb jānā, expressing completion of the verb it modifies, blocks the ergative marker.

ko
The dative–accusative marker ko obligatorily marks the indirect (dative) object in ditransitive verb constructions, and optionally marks the direct object in transitive verb constructions. This optional marking usually prefers specificity and/or animacy of the object.


 * 3.SG:OBL=ERG 1.SG:OBL=ACC hit:PRF:MASC:SG

'(S)he hit me.'
 * 3.SG:OBL=ERG 1.SG:OBL=DAT one gift:MASC:SG:DIR send:PRF:MASC:SG

'(S)he sent me a gift.'