Nominative: meaning, definitions and examples

Etymology

• This word comes from the Latin 'nominativus', which means 'naming'.
• It has its roots in the word 'nomen', meaning 'name' in Latin, showing its connection to identification.

Grammar

• In many languages, the nominative case is the first case beginners learn, as it is crucial for identifying the subject.
• In languages like German and Russian, nouns take different forms based on their grammatical role, but the nominative remains the form for the subject.
• The nominative case often answers the question 'Who?' or 'What?' in a sentence.

Language Learning

• Understanding the nominative case can help in constructing sentences correctly, as it clarifies who is performing the action.
• Many language tutors emphasize the importance of mastering the nominative case as a stepping stone to more complex grammar.

Cognitive Science

• Research suggests that the way languages encode nominative structures can influence how speakers perceive agency and responsibility.
• The distinction between nominative and other cases can affect mental processing of sentence meanings in bilinguals.

Comparative Linguistics

• Some languages, like English, show fewer inflections marking the nominative case, while others, like Latin, have distinct endings for different cases.
• In some languages, the nominative case is not used at all; all nouns are treated the same regardless of their grammatical role.

With rank #19,107, this word belongs to specialized vocabulary. While not common in everyday speech, it enriches your ability to express complex ideas.

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