Declension of the Substantive
An Overview of the Case System
It is very complex, since each of the derived cases includes two or more forms which, when modifying a simple noun, express different shades of meaning: “the eye of the father” or “the letter of the father” — i.e. the letter written by him — a distinct genitive; while a third form of the word is reserved for the idea of removal or extraction: from “the father's house.”
The dative case has likewise three forms: to, in the direction of, which convey the idea of motion; of belonging or possession; while the third form is used for verbal communication.
To speak or write Avâr correctly, one must use entirely different expressions to say “I go to my father” and “I speak to my father.”
Two Instrumentals
There are two forms of the instrumental: (1) “with,” in the sense of accompaniment, as in “I shall do it with that man,” if the man is one's servant or passive companion; (2) “through” or “by means of this man I accomplished it,” in which case the man is a recognised patron.
The Vocative
The vocative, as in all languages of the world, is represented by the basic substantive with an interjection preceding (in most cases) or affixed.
In Avâr the interjection li represents the only regular form of the vocative, as in li imen, “O father”; but fear or self-abasement may change li into a final bi, as in Padishahabi, “O my lord.”
The Prepositional Case
The prepositional is the richest of all and comprises four forms:
(1) “in,” as in “in my house.”
(2) “on,” as in “I have a claim on my father's estate.”
(3) “in,” as in “I discovered a mistake in my letter.”
(4) “for, on account of,” as in “I rode long over the mountains for the sake of my father, who wished to exercise.”
It is at once clear that we are dealing with an inflected language; but since it has never had the opportunity of falling into the hands of those scholars who have raised, for instance, Chaghatai grammar to the level of a mathematical treatise, the description is neither complete nor as systematic as a modern critical student might wish.