elatiivkääne

elatiivkääne is a grammatical case found in the Finnic languages, including Estonian and Finnish. It is primarily used to express the partitive meaning, indicating that something is a part of a whole, or that an action affects only a portion of something. The elative case can also signify origin or separation from a place or thing.

In Estonian, the elative case is typically formed by adding the suffix -st to the stem of a noun. For example, the nominative singular "maja" (house) becomes "majast" in the elative singular. This form is used in sentences such as "Ma tulin majast" (I came from the house). It also appears in constructions denoting a portion, like "Sõin leivast" (I ate some of the bread).

Finnish also utilizes an elative case, with a similar function. The common ending is -sta/-stä, depending on vowel harmony. For instance, "talo" (house) in the nominative singular changes to "talosta" in the elative singular. The Finnish elative is employed to express movement out of a place, as in "Olen talosta" (I am from the house), and to denote a part of something, such as "Join kahvista" (I drank some coffee).

The elatiivkääne is a significant feature of Finnic grammar, contributing to the nuanced expression of spatial relationships, partitive quantity, and origin within these languages. Its consistent usage across related languages highlights a shared linguistic heritage.