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Lesson 20: Goal Case

Vocabulary


	ban		to give
	–di (variant: –dim)		Suffix (CP): Goal Case
	dúu–		Prefix (verb): try in vain to VERB; fail to VERB
	edin		cousin
	–hel		Degree Marker: to a trivial degree; slightly; hardly
	no–		Prefix (verb): to finish VERBing; to complete VERBing
	olin		forest
	sheb		to change
	weth		way; path; road
	wida		to carry

Goal Case

[(Aux) Verb (Neg) CP–S (CP–O) CP–Goal]

The Goal Case marks a Case Phrase as the object toward which the action is directed. To mark a Case Phrase as a Goal, use the ending “–di.” As always, insert “e” to separate consonants if necessary.

You will notice that a sentence such as “Bíi eril sháad le wethedi wa,” meaning “I went to the road,” is exactly like “Bíi eril sháad le wethede wa,” meaning “I came from the road.” You can only tell the direction of the motion verb by the case ending on “road.” Speakers of some languages are not comfortable keeping the vowels “i” and “e” separate, because in their languages they are only one sound. In such a situation, and if no other information is available in the sentence to make things clear, it is correct to use “–dim” as an alternate form for the Goal Case Phrase. Such a speaker could say “Bíi eril sháad le bodim wa,” for “I went to the mountain.”

Examples


	Bíi thad sháad Máyel wa.		Michael can go/come.
	Bíi thad sháad Máyel bethedi wa.		Michael can go/come (to the) home.
	Bíi thad sháad Máyel nudi wa.		Michael can come hither.

Here we see the deixis on “sháad” disambiguated in favor of “come” rather than “go.” You may not recognize the rather archaic form “hither.” It’s Goal Case in English and means “to here” (“nudi” in Láadan). There are a few other English Goal Case forms: “thither” means “to there” (“núudi” in Láadan); “whither” means “to where” (“bebáadi” in Láadan); “nowhither” means “to nowhere” (“radi” in Láadan).

English is persnickety about needing to know whether someone or something is “coming” or “going.” In reality, this is a distinction without a difference. Láadan doesn’t make the distinction and works just fine, as a language, without it.


	Bíi eril om le shoneth wa.		I taught peace.
	Bíi eril om le shoneth nedi wa.		I taught (to) you peace.
	Bíi eril om le nedi wa.		I taught (to) you.
	Bíi eril nohom le wa.		I finished teaching.
	Bíi eril dúuhom le shoneth nedi wa.		I failed to teach you peace.

With any communication verb (“om” in this case), the one doing the communicating is the Subject (“le” here), the thing being communicated (here “shon”) is the Object, and the one to whom the Object is being communicated (here “ne”) is the Goal. These case assignments remain even when one or more of the case phrases are omitted (as in the first and third examples above). Other verbs we already know that would fall into this category are “bédi” (to promise), “di” (to speak), “lalom” (to sing), and “mime” (to ask).


	Bíi aril wida le bal belidedi wa.		I will carry bread to the house.
	Bíi aril wida le bal belid edinethodi wa.		I will carry bread to the cousin’s house.
	Bíi aril wida le bal belid edinetho nethadi wa.		I will carry bread to your cousin’s house.

Notice that “bal,” above, does not have an Object Case suffix; there is no ambiguity since bread cannot carry me anywhere.

Notice also how the Possessive interacts with the Goal Case. The Goal Case suffix moves to the end of the possessive phrase: first to “edinethodi,” then to “nethadi.” “Belid” is without a case suffix after the first example in this set.


	Bíi ril sheb le wa.		I change.
	Bíi ril shebehel le wa.		I change trivially. –or– I hardly change.
	Bíi ril nasheb le wa.		I begin to change.
	Bíi ril nosheb le wa.		I finish changing.

Exercises

Translate the following into English.


1	Bíi aril mesháad edin wehehátha bode nudi wa.
2	Báa wida omid berídaneth bebáadi?
3	Bíi dubel ebalá baleth wehedi wáa.
4	Bíi nahom sherídan netha Láadan Másha bedi wa.
5	Bíi eril meban lezh wolaya wobabíth dená lethodi wa.
6	Bíi ul dúuhim ra héena eshonátho nezhedi wa.

In #1, “sháad” would clearly be translated “come” because the movement from the mountain is to here.

In #4, we notice once again that personal names do not receive Case suffixes.

Incorporate the second noun as a Goal; translate into English before and after.


7	Bíi aril mina ábedá mudath wa.	weth
8	Báa eril eb hothul bezhetha mazheth?	bebáa
9	Bíi rilrili medoth len shonáth wa.	woliyen woholin
10	Bíi ril thad wida withid obath wáa.	woyom wohoth
11	Bíi eríli mesháad onida wáa.	meworahíya wohud
12	Báa eril bel háawith bebáatha nemeth?	wohu wohurahu

In #11, the word “rahíya,” from “ra–” (not–, non–) + “híya” (small), means “large.”

Translate the following into Láadan.


13	Whither is the grandchild taking the fragrant flowers?
14	The teacher asked, “Whither is the beautiful plant traveling?”
15	I said to her, “Clearly, the plant is going nowhere.”
16	The parents gave their baby milk.
17	I wish Steven would carry the tired cat to the park.
18	The laughing worker sold the farm to them (few).

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Answers


1	The storekeeper’s cousins will come hither from the mountain.
2	Whither is the horse carrying the aunt?
3	The baker is trying to take the bread to a store.
4	Your niece is beginning to teach Marsha Láadan (teach Láadan to Marsha).
5	We (few) gave a red bird to my assistant.
6	The peace-scientist’s heart-sibling hopes not to fail to travel to you (few).

7	The farmer will move a pig.
	Bíi aril mina ábedá mudath wethedi wa.
	The farmer will move a pig to the road.
8	Did their grandmother buy/sell the car?
	Báa eril eb hothul bezhetha mazheth bebáadi?
	To whom did their grandmother sell the car?
9	We (many) may follow the peace-maker.
	Bíi rilrili medoth len shonáth woliyen woholinedi wa.
	We (many) may follow the peace-maker to the green forest.
10	The man can carry the body.
	Bíi ril thad wida withid obath woyom wohothedi wáa.
	The man can carry the body to a safe place.
11	The families came/went long ago.
	Bíi eríli mesháad onida meworahíya wohudedi wáa.
	The families long ago came/went to the large stones.
12	Whose child took/brought the pearl?
	Báa eril bel háawith bebáatha nemeth wohu wohurahudi?
	Whose child took/brought the pearl to the open gate?

13	Báa bel hóowith mewohaba womahinath bebáadi?
14	Bíi eril mime omá wa, “Báa im woháya wodala bebáadi?”
15	Bíi eril di le bedi wa, “Bíi sháad ra dala radi wi.”
16	Bíi eril meban thul laleth áwith bezhethadi wáa.
17	Bíi wil wida Thíben wohóoha woruleth heshehothedi wa.
18	Bíi eril eb wohada wohalá ábedeth bezhedi wáa.

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