séparatives

Separatives are a class of grammatical markers used to express separation from a reference point. They can be realized as a suffix on a noun (a separative case), a postposition, or an adverbial particle. The core function is to signal removal, departure, or extraction, ranging from literal spatial separation to abstract detachment.

In use, a separative marker often accompanies verbs of motion or nouns that denote source or origin. It may indicate moving away from a location, separating an object from a group, or liberating someone from a state or obligation. Some languages employ a distinct separative case; others use postpositions or prepositions with explicit semantics of from, away from, or out of. The morphosyntactic treatment can be suffixal, cliticized, or expressed as independent words.

Typologically, separatives are not universal. Some descriptive grammars classify a separative as a separate case or as a subfunction of an existing from-marker (for example, ablative or elative). In other languages, separatives form part of a broader set of directional or relational markers. The term is used to emphasize the semantic focus on separation rather than location.

Historically, the label separative derives from Latin separativus; its precise scope and status vary by language and grammar tradition. Researchers may differ on whether separatives constitute a true case, a distinct mood, or an adpositional category. See also: ablative, elative, case, postposition.