Nouns in Aldéril are marked for case and may be marked for number depending on their level of animacy.
Noun Animacy
Aldéril categorizes nouns according to their level of animacy. All nouns may be placed semantically on the following hierarchical listing:
human < animal < force of nature < object < mass < place < abstraction
This animacy affects the grammar in three distinct ways. The first is in verbal arguments. The subject of a verb must always be higher in animacy than an object or objects the verb takes. The second is in pluralization. Only humans, animals, and forces of nature receive plural markings. All other nouns require a classifier in order to indicate number. The third is in modfiers, which must agree with the noun in a tripartite division of animacyː human, other animate, and inanimate.
Case
Nouns in Aldéril can perform different roles in a sentence. This is marked by a combination of word order and case marking proclitics. The proclitics differ from prefixes in that they are applied to the whole noun phrase, rather than just the noun itself.
The nominative is marked by positioning the noun before the verb and it does not receive a proclitic. This case is used exclusively for the grammatical subject of the sentence. As mentioned above, a noun in the nominative case must have a higher animacy than the other verbal arguments. Nominative nouns may never be indefinite.
The accusative is marked by placing the noun after the verb and it is marked with the proclitic ne. This case is used for the grammatical object of most verbs, although some verbs may take a direct object in a different case. The accusative may not be indefinite unless the verb uses the antipassive or applicative voice. It also serves as the object of prepositions indicating movement towards or through, as well as duration of time.
The dative is marked by its position following a preposition or an applicative verb and it is marked with the proclitic cen. This case most often occurs as the object of a preposition, for which it has a wide range of possible roles. Most often, it indicates the recipient or beneficiary of the verb’s action. It is also used to indicate purpose and judicantis for the verbal action. The dative is also used as a locative and may indicate point in time. The dative is used without a preposition to mark the object of an benefactive applicative verb or to indicate predicative possession.
The genitive is marked by being in attributive position within another noun phrase or following certain preopsitions and it is marked with the proclitic ti. This case is a catch-all for nouns which modify other nouns. Most commonly, it is used for possession, but is may also mark origin, source, material, composition, subject or object of a verbal noun, reference, description, or apposition. It also has a special use to connect an inanimate noun to its classifier. When used with prepositions, the gentive indicates movement away from.
The instrumental is marked by its position following a preposition or an applicative verb and it is marked with the proclitic pu. This case most often is used as the object of a preposition indicating instrument or manner by which the verbal action is accomplished, but it may also indicate a companion or co-participant in an action, as well as the impersonal agent. It can indicate the cause or reason for the verbal action. Finally, it is used to indicate time within which. The instrumental is also used without a preposition to mark the object of an instrumental/comitative applicative.
Number
Animate nouns in Aldéril—specifically those indicating humans, animals, and forces of nature—can be marked as either singular are plural. Inanimate nouns are not marked for number. Singular nouns are unmarked. Human plurals are typically marked with a final -é. Animals and forces of nature are marked with a final -o. These vowels will typically replace the final vowel of the noun. The plural suffixes are occasionally accompanied by a stem change. A common stem change among non-human animates is the addition of –nc– at the end of the stem.
Classifiers
Inanimate nouns in Aldéril are not marked for plural, but their number may be clarified through the use of classifiers. Classifiers replace the noun they accompany as the head of the noun phrase, and the noun they modify is put in the genitive case.
Classifiers are required in Aldéril whenever a noun is used with a demonstrative, definite article, or number. They may also be used with indefinite nouns to give an approximation of number, functioning either as an individuator or as a collective.
Classifiers are a closed set, which pair with nouns in a set way. Classifiers typically pair with nouns based on the material of the noun modified, the function of the noun, the shape or consistency of th enoun modified, or the location or arrangement of the noun modified.
Modifiers
The order of a noun phrase in Aldéril is:
demonstrative number classifier noun adjective genitive relative clause
Demonstratives and adjectives in a noun phrase must agree with the noun in animacy. All other modifiers either remain undeclined or retain their own animacy.
Noun Predication
When a sentence is used to equate two nouns in Aldéril, the noun predicate is indicated by being placed after the copula antá, which does not conjugate. Both nouns are unmarked, indicating nominative case.