Magin_Edward-thesis

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Gender can only be learned through memorization and language use, as no aspect
of a noun reveals its gender. One might find that certain classifications are predominately
of a certain gender, such as fruits, which are generally feminine. However, it is primarily
through use of the language that one becomes proficient in applying masculine and
feminine particles and markers.
4.4.2.2 Noun inflection
Nouns are inflected in two cases, direct, also referred as nominative case, and
oblique. In nominative-accusative languages the subject is the most agent-like argument
of transitive verbs. It is therefore considered to be in the nominative, or direct, case.
Objects, as the most patient-like argument, are considered to be in the accusative case. As
inactive elements they are considered to be in the oblique case. Other inactive elements
are also considered to be in the oblique case, such as possessors, post-verbal arguments,
objects of prepositions, and locations. In Northern Kurdish, the direct case is left
unmarked, while the oblique case only has one case marking for a number of cases.
Oblique may be viewed as a collective term for a number of case markings found in
languages, such as dative, ablative, and locative (MacKenzie 1961:153).
As mentioned, Northern Kurdish is a split-ergative language where past transitive
clauses follow an ergative-absolutive system of grammar. Subjects of past transitive
clauses are said to be in the ergative case; these are marked as oblique. Objects in past
transitive clauses are said to be in the absolutive case. These are considered to be in the
direct case and are not marked. Intransitive clauses, having only one argument, are
always considered to be in the direct case.
The examples in (17) to (19) show the unmarking of nouns in the direct case and
the marking of nouns in the oblique case. The oblique case is marked with a feminine, -ê,
masculine, -î, or plural, -a or -an, marker. In (17), a transitive present-tense sentence, the
subject medîr, ‘owner,’ is in the unmarked direct case. The object kurk, ‘boy,’ is marked
with a masculine oblique marker, -î. In (18), an intransitive sentence, the subject, again
medîr, is correctly left unmarked, in the direct case. Again, this will be true for all