A Study on Accusative and Dative Cases of Three Languages: Pāli, Sanskrit, and German

Abstract

Declensions or cases are used in Indo-European languages to divide a root noun into different meanings. The root noun "minis" in Sinhala is divided into different meanings such as "minisā, minisāta, and minisāge", according to grammatical rules of declension. In German, a modern language belonging to the Indo- European language family can also be found using nouns in cases. The usage of cases in German is quite complex, so it is not easy for beginners of the German language to comprehend it. However, a comparison of the inflectional usage of German cases with the inflectional meanings used in Pali and Sanskrit will facilitate the comprehension of the cases in the German language. In modern language learning, comparing the clauses or grammar of the relevant language with another language is sometimes a barrier, but such a comparison makes it easier to understand some grammatical terms or idioms. The purpose of this study is to help German language learners understand the cases (Kasus) of the German language who already understand the cases of Pali and Sanskrit languages . In conducting this research, information was gathered through a questionnaire to understand the nature of students' difficulties in German language learning. Books and papers on grammar teaching in Sanskrit, Pali and German were also used here to compare cases with respect to the three languages. Questionnaires and document analysis methods were used as research methods. The collected data were then analysed in a comparative manner. Sanskrit and Pali have seven cases, and the functions of seven cases are performed in the German language with only four cases. In all three languages, each case has a unique meaning, but there are also inflections used with particular verbs or prepositions. It is important to carry out this research further in order to comprehend the Akkusativ and Dativ cases of the German language.