Multiplicative case

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The multiplicative case (abbreviated MLT or MLTP) is a grammatical case used for marking a number of something ("three times").

The case is found in the Hungarian language,[1] for example nyolc (eight), nyolcszor (eight times),[2] however it is not considered a real case in modern Hungarian linguistics because of its adverb-forming nature.

The case appears also in Finnish as an adverbial (adverb-forming) case. Used with a cardinal number it denotes the number of actions; for example, viisi (five) -> viidesti (five times). Used with adjectives it refers to the mean of the action, corresponding the English suffix -ly: kaunis (beautiful) -> kauniisti (beautifully). It is also used with a small number of nouns: leikki (play) -> leikisti ("just kidding", "not really"). In addition, it acts as an intensifier when used with a swearword: piru -> pirusti. [3]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Mentioned in: István Kenesei, Anna Fenyvesi, Robert Michael Vago, Hungarian, page xxviii, 1998 - 472 pages [ Google book search]
  2. ^ Vago, Robert Michael (1980). The sound pattern of Hungarian. Georgetown University Press. p. 38. ISBN 0-87840-177-6.
  3. ^ Mäkinen, Panu. "Finnish Grammar - Adverbial Cases". users.jyu.fi. University of Jyväskylä. Retrieved 6 March 2015.