ordinalisille

Ordinalisille is a theoretical grammatical category discussed in constructed-language (conlang) typology to denote a dative-like case attached to ordinal numerals. In this usage, ordinalisille marks the indirect object or beneficiary of an action when the phrase being imparted or affected is specified by an ordinal number.

Morphology and usage work as follows. The feature is described as a suffix, commonly analyzed as -isille, that attaches to the stem of an ordinal numeral. It may co-occur with other cases and can also attach to pronouns or nouns within ordinal phrases. The resulting form signals that the action is directed toward the ordinal group or item, rather than toward a nominal head in a cardinal sense. For example, kolmas (third) paired with the ordinalisille suffix would yield kolmasille, interpreted as “to the third (ones).”

In sentence structure, an ordinalisille phrase typically functions as a recipient, beneficiary, or target of the action expressed by the verb. It is distinct from generic allative or dative systems in that it specifically binds the relationship to an ordinal reference rather than to a concrete noun or mass.

Typology and relation to other systems. Ordinalisille is proposed as a tool for examining how numerals interact with case marking in languages with rich inflection. It offers a way to test how ordinal reference affects argument alignment, discourse focus, and information structure. While not attested in natural languages, ordinalisille is a useful construct in theoretical comparisons of numeral syntax and case systems.

See also: allative, dative, ordinal numerals, constructed languages.