allativeplural

Allative plural is a grammatical form that marks movement toward or location at a destination that is plural. It combines the allative case, which expresses direction “to” or “onto,” with plural number to indicate multiple target referents. This combination is found in several language groups and is realized in different ways, most often by suffixing or, in some languages, by a postpositional construction with a plural noun.

Morphology and realizations vary by language. In suffixing languages, the allative plural is typically formed by attaching an allative ending to a plural noun. The exact shape of the ending depends on the language’s phonology and vowel harmony. For example, in Turkish the plural noun evler (houses) takes the allative suffix -e to form evlere, meaning “to the houses.” In Hungarian, the plural noun házak (houses) combined with the allative suffix -hoz yields házakhoz, meaning “to the houses.” Some languages also use periphrastic constructions with prepositions or postpositions alongside plural markers.

Usage and semantics: The allative plural usually marks destination in clauses of motion, transfer, or reachability involving multiple referents. It can convey movement toward several locations, toward multiple recipients, or toward multiple targets of a transfer. The precise interpretation can vary by language, including nuances distinguishing destination from recipient or beneficiary.

Cross-linguistic notes: Not all languages with an allative distinction also encode number in the same way. In languages with rich case systems, the allative plural may interact with other grammatical categories such as definiteness, numerals, or agreement, and may contrast with other directional cases (e.g., locative, illative) in both meaning and usage.

See also: Allative case, plural, directional cases.