MITMUSE OSASTAV EESTI KEELE KÄÄNDESÜSTEEMIS
The Partitive Plural in the Estonian Case System

Summary/Abstract: The article investigates the choice of the Estonian plural partitive case forms in text corpora, concentrating on words that have potentially alternative forms for plural partitive. Based on the data, it is shown how the plural partitive case form is regularly formed from the singular partitive, similarly to what was claimed by A. Thor Helle in 1732. This view contradicts the currently predominant treatment of Estonian case system which does not link the plural partitive to any other slot of the word paradigm. The article also shows the interaction of sometimes conflicting rules in deciding the plural partitive case form for words ending with (V)ne or (V)s, a notoriously confusing subclass of Estonian words. The article concludes that it may be necessary to re-evaluate the current treatment of the Estonian case system.

• Details
• Contents