<p>Interesting concept for a case. In my interpretation this kind of an abstract distributive case would apply in sentences like this one (a probably very clumsy reformulation of a famous first sentence in literature)</p>

<p><em>Every unhappy family is different <strong>in their unhappiness</em></strong>.</p>

<p>I looked up the really case-rich conlang <a href="http://www.ithkuil.net/04_case.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Ithkuil</a> and did not find a precedent for this kind of case. Feel free to name it by any name you like. When you don't have an own idea, I suggest <em>respective case</em> for that one.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-02-06T13:13:16.097Z
2020-02-06T13:13:16.097Z
Sir Cornflakes
<p>I suspect you could just make up a name. That's certainly a legitimate glossopoetical strategy.</p>

<p>In English, i'd just call it a distributive sense of the state-noun and have done with it: <em>Such-and-such only happens thrice per childhood, you know!</em></p>

<p>Or ...<em>thrice childhoodly</em> if you prefer!  </p>

<p>I frankly don't get the difference between LOC/ABL/ALL &amp; ESS/EXESS/TRANSL, which I'm guessing must be a Finnish Thing.</p>

<p>I would understand "in the child" and "in childhood" to be locative senses of the thing-noun and state-noun respectively; "from the child" &amp; "from childhood" likewise are ablative. So it is for "per child" and "per childhood", being the distributive sense.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-02-06T03:43:16.353Z
2020-02-06T03:43:16.353Z
elemtilas
<p>If I understand you correctly (big <em>if</em> there!), you are looking for a periodical state that repeats, not necessarily at the same time interval (though the two might in reality be linked) &mdash; as it happens we are using the sun rising as a proxy for the time passing.</p>

<p>This could be a tree blossoming, or losing its leaves. It could be the tide coming in. It could be birds migrating and passing through. It could be a woman's menstrual cycle. It could be being asleep/awake. </p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-02-06T09:37:20.190Z
2020-02-06T09:37:20.190Z
Oliver Mason
<p>I am developing conlang that has grammatical cases system for nominals that for each spatial case there is state-based case.</p>

<p>In Finnic languages grammatical cases that denote states occur, examples in Finnish:</p>

<ul>
<li><strong>Essive</strong> (ESS) with the ending <em>-na</em>/<em>-nä</em> denotes being in state, corresponds to the combination 'as X' in English. <em>lapsi</em> - 'child', <em>lapsena</em> - 'as child / being a child'</li>
<li>dialectal <strong>Exessive</strong> (EXESS) with the ending <em>-nta</em>/<em>-ntä</em> denotes a departure from state, corresponding to English 'from being X...'. <em>lapsi</em> - 'child', <em>lapsenta</em> - 'from being child'</li>
<li><strong>Translative</strong> (TRANSL) with the ending <em>-ksi</em> denotes a transition into state, corresponds to English 'to (becoming) X'. <em>aikuinen</em> - 'adult', <em>aikuiseksi</em> - 'to adult'. <em>lapsenta aikuiseksi</em> = '[maturing] from child to adult'.</li>
</ul>

<p>There is clear spatial analogy:</p>

<ul>
<li>Locative ↔ Essive</li>
<li>Ablative ↔ Exessive</li>
<li>Allative ↔ Translative</li>
</ul>

<p>You can construct state-based analogues to other spatial cases. For example, for the Prolative case ('through X') we can make Essive-Prolative, which would mean 'passing through a state of being X / through way of being X"</p>

<p>There is a Hungarian grammatical case called <strong>Distributive</strong> (DISTR) with the ending <em>-nként</em>, which is equivalent to 'per X'. For example, <em>hét</em> - 'week', <em>hetenként</em> - 'weekly, once per week'. It has a clear spatial-temporal nature.</p>

<p>I am trying to come up with a state based analogue for this case. Let's call it '<em>Essive-distributive</em>', but I am stuck with the expansion of the analogy. What exactly can 'per being in state' mean? Can anyone suggest a meaning and usage for such a case?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-02-06T06:11:21.807Z
“each time you are asleep”, “each time Misha is on duty” could be examples.
Anton Sherwood
<conlang-creation><grammar><morphology><case>
State-based analogue to distributive case
# State-based analogue to distributive case

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-02-06)

I am developing conlang that has grammatical cases system for nominals that for each spatial case there is state-based case.

In Finnic languages grammatical cases that denote states occur, examples in Finnish:

* **Essive** (ESS) with the ending *-na*/*-nä* denotes being in state, corresponds to the combination 'as X' in English. *lapsi* - 'child', *lapsena* - 'as child / being a child'
* dialectal **Exessive** (EXESS) with the ending *-nta*/*-ntä* denotes a departure from state, corresponding to English 'from being X...'. *lapsi* - 'child', *lapsenta* - 'from being child'
* **Translative** (TRANSL) with the ending *-ksi* denotes a transition into state, corresponds to English 'to (becoming) X'. *aikuinen* - 'adult', *aikuiseksi* - 'to adult'. *lapsenta aikuiseksi* = '[maturing] from child to adult'.

There is clear spatial analogy:

* Locative ↔ Essive
* Ablative ↔ Exessive
* Allative ↔ Translative

You can construct state-based analogues to other spatial cases. For example, for the Prolative case ('through X') we can make Essive-Prolative, which would mean 'passing through a state of being X / through way of being X"

There is a Hungarian grammatical case called **Distributive** (DISTR) with the ending *-nként*, which is equivalent to 'per X'. For example, *hét* - 'week', *hetenként* - 'weekly, once per week'. It has a clear spatial-temporal nature.

I am trying to come up with a state based analogue for this case. Let's call it '*Essive-distributive*', but I am stuck with the expansion of the analogy. What exactly can 'per being in state' mean? Can anyone suggest a meaning and usage for such a case?

**Tags:** conlang-creation, grammar, morphology, case

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: “each time you are asleep”, “each time Misha is on duty” could be examples.  

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## 3 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2020-02-06. Score: 4 | Accepted answer

Interesting concept for a case. In my interpretation this kind of an abstract distributive case would apply in sentences like this one (a probably very clumsy reformulation of a famous first sentence in literature)

*Every unhappy family is different **in their unhappiness***.

I looked up the really case-rich conlang [Ithkuil](http://www.ithkuil.net/04_case.html) and did not find a precedent for this kind of case. Feel free to name it by any name you like. When you don't have an own idea, I suggest *respective case* for that one.


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### Answer by username_3 on 2020-02-06. Score: 3

I suspect you could just make up a name. That's certainly a legitimate glossopoetical strategy.

In English, i'd just call it a distributive sense of the state-noun and have done with it: *Such-and-such only happens thrice per childhood, you know!*

Or ...*thrice childhoodly* if you prefer!

I frankly don't get the difference between LOC/ABL/ALL & ESS/EXESS/TRANSL, which I'm guessing must be a Finnish Thing.

I would understand "in the child" and "in childhood" to be locative senses of the thing-noun and state-noun respectively; "from the child" & "from childhood" likewise are ablative. So it is for "per child" and "per childhood", being the distributive sense.


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### Answer by username_4 on 2020-02-06. Score: 2

If I understand you correctly (big *if* there!), you are looking for a periodical state that repeats, not necessarily at the same time interval (though the two might in reality be linked) — as it happens we are using the sun rising as a proxy for the time passing.

This could be a tree blossoming, or losing its leaves. It could be the tide coming in. It could be birds migrating and passing through. It could be a woman's menstrual cycle. It could be being asleep/awake.


---

