Professional paper
Remnants of the Old Dual in a- and i-Type Nouns in Modern (Sub)standard Croatian: A Synchronic and Diachronic Analysis
Luka Velić
; Institute for the Croatian Language
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* Corresponding author.
Abstract
This paper provides a detailed diachronic and synchronic description of the remnants of the old dual paradigms in the nominative, accusative, and vocative of the a-type nouns (most masculine and most neuter nouns) and the i-type nouns (some feminine nouns) in Modern (sub)standard Croatian. The focus is on their use within the full declensional paradigm (e.g., in the a-type NOM./ACC./VOC., originally dual, dvȃ pȑsta ‘two fingers’ versus the genitive, originally plural of the noun, dvàjū pȓstā ‘of two fingers’), and there is also a brief comparison with the use of the petrified accusative (e.g., in the a-type čòvjek s dvȃ prèzimena ‘a man with two surnames’). Where relevant, comparisons are made with modern Croatian dialects.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
346816
URI
Publication date:
30.1.2026.
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