INSTRUMENTAL CASE Meaning and
Definition
-
The instrumental case is a grammatical case found in some languages that often indicates the means or agency by which an action is performed or the tool or instrument used for a specific purpose. It is one of the several cases used to indicate the relationships between nouns and other elements in a sentence. In the instrumental case, a noun or pronoun typically functions as the instrument or means of an action.
In languages that employ the instrumental case, nouns or pronouns in this case are often marked by a specific suffix or ending. This serves to distinguish them from other cases, such as the nominative or accusative case, which may have different functions or meanings.
The instrumental case can be employed in a variety of contexts. It is commonly used to express the tool or instrument utilized to accomplish an action: for example, "I cut the bread with a knife" or "I wrote the letter with a pen." In addition, the instrumental case can also indicate the agent or means by which an action is performed: "The house was built by the workers" or "The book was written by the author."
Overall, the instrumental case serves to provide additional information about the means, tool, or agent involved in an action, contributing to the clarity and specificity of sentence structure in languages that utilize this grammatical feature.
Etymology of INSTRUMENTAL CASE
The word "instrumental" in the term "instrumental case" has its roots in Latin. It comes from the Latin word "instrumentalis", which means "of or pertaining to an instrument". In Latin, the instrumental case was a grammatical case used to indicate the means or instrument by which an action is performed. This term was later adopted in the study of grammar and language to describe a similar function in other languages, including Slavic, Baltic, Finno-Ugric, and some other language families.
