Case marking on demonstratives (Surgut Khanty)

NoDemCase: Demonstratives are standalone words, but cannot be marked for case.


(1a) qoʌtaɣiʌ məŋ tēm pūɣəʌ-a mən-ʌ-əw.

tomorrow we this village-lat go-prs-1pl

’Tomorrow, we are going to this village.’ (L. N. K.)


(1b) qoʌtaɣiʌ məŋ tom pūɣəʌ-a mən-ʌ-əw.

tomorrow we that village-lat go-prs-1pl

’Tomorrow, we are going to that village.’ (L. N. K.)


(1c) qoʌtaɣiʌ məŋ ťī pūɣəʌ-a mən-ʌ-əw.

tomorrow we this village-lat go-prs-1pl

’Tomorrow, we are going to this village.’ (L. N. K.)


(1d) qoʌtaɣiʌ məŋ ťū pūɣəʌ-a mən-ʌ-əw.

tomorrow we that village-lat go-prs-1pl

’Tomorrow, we are going to that village.’ (L. N. K.)


In Surgut Khanty, the adnominal demonstratives (tēm, tom, ťī, ťū) cannot get suffixes, not even when the nominal head is marked for case.

Author: 

Márta Csepregi