Curonian grammar
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Curonian grammar describes the grammatical features of extinct Curonian language. The Curonian language is highly inflected and archaic language. Its grammar is reconstructed basing on Latvian, Lithuanian and Old Prussian grammars and known Curonian place-names and New Curonian texts and vocabulary.
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[edit] Nouns
Curonian nouns are divided into seven declensions (three masculine and four feminine). But there are several nouns which are declined irregulary. The declension of noun is determined by its ending and gender.
Curonian nouns have eight grammatical cases: nominative case, accusative case, genitive case, dative case, ablative case, instrumental case, locative case and vocative case.The locative case has four forms: inessive (the regular and most common form), illative (iekš(k)an tan pirman vietan 'in the first place',āran 'outdoors, outside', priekšan 'for', laukaisnā 'to country'), allative (only used in a few idiomic expressions like: mājump, kalnump, šurp, turp), adessive (namaip, namaisump). The later three are adverb-forming cases.
Following table shows nominative endings for all regular declensions:
| Masculine | Feminine | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.decl. | 2.decl. | 3.decl. | 4.decl. | 5.decl. | 6.decl. | 7.decl. | |||||||
| Sing. | Plur. | Sing. | Plur. | Sing. | Plur. | Sing. | Plur. | Sing. | Plur. | Sing. | Plur. | Sing. | Plur. |
| -as | -āi | -is | -jāi | -us | -ūs | -ā | -ās | -ē | -ēs | -is | -īs | -us | -ūs |
[edit] Masculine nouns
1.decl.: vīr-as 'man, husband';
2.decl.: skap-is 'shelf';
3.decl.: turg-us 'market, bazaar'.
| 1.decl. | 2.decl. | 3.decl. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sing. | Plur. | Sing. | Plur. | Sing. | Plur. | |
| Nom. | vīras | vīrāi | skapis | skapjāi | turgus | turgūs |
| Acc. | vīran | vīrāns | skapin | skapjāns | turgun | turgūns |
| Gen. | vīras | vīrūn | skapjas | skapjūn | turgaus | turgūn |
| Dat. | vīraj | vīrams | skapjaj | skapjams | turgav | turgums |
| Abl. | vīrā | vīrams | skapjā | skapjams | turgaus | turgums |
| Ins. | vīrami | vīrais | skapimi | skapjais | turgumi | turgumis |
| Loc. | vīrai | vīraisu | skapīju | skapjaisu | turgūju | turgusu |
| Voc. | vīru! | vīrāi! | skapi! | skapjāi! | turgau! | turgūs! |
[edit] Feminine nouns
4.decl.: saiv-ā 'woman, wife';
5.decl.: ap-ē 'river';
6.decl.: nakt-is 'night';
7.decl.: vilt-us 'guile, deceit', dzirn-ūs 'mill'.
| 4.decl. | 5.decl. | 6.decl. | 7.decl. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sing. | Plur. | Sing. | Plur. | Sing. | Plur. | Sing. | Plur. | |
| Nom. | saivā | saivās | apē | apēs | naktis | naktīs | viltus | dzirnūs |
| Acc. | saivān | saivās | apin | apēs | naktin | naktīs | viltun | dzrinūs |
| Gen. | saivās | saivūn | apēs | apjūn | naktijas | naktjūn | viltuvas | dzirnūn |
| Dat. | saivāj | saivāms | apēj | apēms | naktijai | naktīms | viltuvai | dzirnūms |
| Abl. | saivās | saivāms | apēs | apēms | naktijas | naktīms | viltuvas | dzirnūms |
| Ins. | saivaju | saivāmis | apeju | apēmis | naktiju | naktīmis | viltuvu | dzirnūmis |
| Loc. | saivāju | saivāsu | apēju | apēsu | naktīju | naktīsu | viltūju | dzirnūsu |
| Voc. | saivu! | saivās! | ape! | apēs! | nakti! | naktīs! | viltu! | dzirnūs! |
[edit] Dual number
Curonian had also a Dual number. It was mainly used in the words representing body parts, e.g. duvi rankai, kājai, ausī, aksī, nāsī 'two hands, legs, ears, eyes, nostrils'.
The Dual endings of all cases:
| Masculine | Feminine | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.decl. | 2.decl. | 3.decl. | 4.decl. | 5.decl. | 6.decl. | 7.decl. | |
| Nom.Acc.Voc. | -au | -jau | -ū | -ai | -ei | -ī | -ū |
| Dat.Abl.Ins. | -amu | -imu | -umu | -āmu | -ēmu | -īmu | -ūmu |
| Gen.Loc. | -aj | -jaj | -ū | -āj | -ēj | -ī | -ū |
[edit] Pronunciation
In rapid speech there occure some changes in vowel quality, the final long vowels and diphthongs get shortened, but -aj, -aju turn into [ui], and -ami into [um(i)], as also -ijas and -uvas turn into [ies] and [ūs], -ijai and -uvai turn into [ij]/[ei]/[ie] and [ui].
