Lithuanian grammar Flashcards
(40 cards)
How is the Lithuanian vowel system divided?
It is divided into long vs. short vowels.
Where does the short ‘o’ occur in Lithuanian?
The short ‘o’ occurs only in loanwords.
How are long vowels marked in Lithuanian spelling?
Long vowels are marked with diacritics and/or nasals.
What does tonal opposition mean in Lithuanian?
Tonal opposition on stressed vowels, which is only on long vowels and diphthongs.
How are short vowels marked in Lithuanian spelling?
Short vowels are tone neutral and unmarked, such as a or e.
How are diphthongs formed in Lithuanian?
Diphthongs are formed by combining vowels and/or resonants:
1. a/e + i/u (e.g., ai, eu), or
2. a/e/i/u + r/l/m/n (e.g., ar, im, el).
What tones are indicated by accents in Lithuanian?
/ á = acute/fall tone (written on the first sound in a diphthong)
~ ã = circumflex/rising tone (written on the second sound in a diphthong)
\ à = short
How is palatalization indicated in Lithuanian?
A consonant is usually pronounced palatal before a front vowel
(e,ę,ė,i,y,į), and otherwise non-palatal before other vowels. To indicate when a palatalized consonant occurs in front of a back vowel (ą,a,o,u,ų,ū), however, it needs to be indicated by writing -i- after the
affected consonant.
How many genders does Lithuanian have?
two genders: masculine and feminine (neuter disappeared).
How many grammatical numbers does Lithuanian have?
Singular and plural. In the present day standard, the dual has largely disappeared, but it is best preserved in western dialects.
What noun cases exist in Lithuanian?
- Nominative,
- Accusative,
- Dative,
- Genitive,
- instrumental,
- Locative,
- Vocative.
What additional cases were present in Old Lithuanian?
Illative (into), allative (onto), and adessive (at/by).
Which prepositions take an Accusative object in Lithuanian?
põ +A ‘across’
ùž +A ‘for’
į̃ +A ‘(in)to’
apiẽ +A ‘around, about’
per̃ +A ‘through’
pas +A ‘at, with; to’
Which prepositions take a Genitive object in Lithuanian?
ìš +G ‘from, out of’
ùž +G ‘behind’
priẽ +G ‘near, at’
nuõ +G ‘from’
bè +G ‘without’
Which prepositions take an Instrumental object in Lithuanian?
põ +I ‘under’
sù +I ‘with’
What are the regular features of the nominative case?
Subjects; the subject of any sentence or clause will be in the nominative case.
What are the regular features of the accusative case?
–Accusative is used for direcct objects (brólis mãto árklį ‘the brother sees the horse’);
–it’s also used to indicate time or duration (nãktį ‘at night’)
What are the regular features of the dative case?
Dative is used for indirect objects/recipients (jìs dúoda tė́vui šùnį ‘he gives the father a dog’).
What are the regular features of the genitive case?
–Genitive is used to combine two nouns (seser̃s nãmas ‘the sister’s house’),
–also for objects of certain verbs (‘wish, want’, ‘ask for’, ‘fear’, ‘wait for’, ‘look for’),
–and partitive use with amounts (daũg ‘much, many’, mažaĩ ‘little, few’),
–and used for negation for a subject that is absent or non-existent (father is not at home)
What are the regular features of the locative case?
Locative is used for position (jì yrà Vìlniuje ‘she is in Vilnius’)
What are the regular features of the instrumental case?
–Instrumental is used for thing or person with which you perform an act (rañkomis dìrbti ‘to work with your hands’)
–also for translating ‘like’ or ‘as’ when used with a predicate or in a comparison (like a bird),
–and ‘along’ or ‘through’ when talking about a movement (fly through the air)
What are the regular features of the vocative case?
Vocative is used for direct addressing (O bróli, kur̃tù? ‘Oh brother, where art thou?’)
How many declensions do Lithuanian nouns have and what are their features?
- first declension: male o-, jo-, ijo- stems → in -as, -ias, -is, -ys (nom.sg.)
- second declension: female -ā, -jā, -ē stems → in -a, -ì, -ė
- third declension: female/male -i-stems → in -is
- fourth declension: male u-, ju-stems → in -us, -ius
- fifth declension: male n-, s-stems and female r-stems → in -uo, -ė
What are some perceived regularities in the singular declension forms?
The acc.sg. always ends in a “nasal vowel” (ą,į,ę,ų).
The dat.sg. always ends in –Vi.
The loc.sg. always ends in –e or –j(e).
