Year: 2022
Type: book-chapter
Abstract: Mordvin, a minority language in European Russia, comprises two closely related languages, Erzya and Moksha, differing from each other mainly in phonology and morphology. The Mordvin languages exhibit a high degree of synthesis in nominal and verbal inflection. The ten cases have indefinite and definite forms; the latter are expressed with suffixation of former demonstrative pronouns. Mordvin has only three tenses, but six moods, most of which have merged from the main verb and the verb 'to be'. In the so-called objective or definite conjugation, the personal suffixes express both the person of the subject and that of the object. Mordvin has a rich system of infinitives, participles, and gerunds, functioning also as kernels of clausal constructions. Noun predicates can be conjugated as verbs. Owing to strong Russian influence the basic word order is now SVO. Russian influence can also be seen in the systematic palatalization of consonants before front vowels.
Authors: Arja Hamari, Rigina Ajanki
Language: English
Subfield: Language and Linguistics
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funder: Koneen Säätiö
OpenAlex ID: W4283277141