Multiplicative case explained

The multiplicative case (abbreviated or ) 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

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