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In case languages that have one, the Path Case describes the route the Subject takes to get from the Source to the Goal—whether or not the Source and/or Goal is explicitly mentioned.
Suzette Haden Elgin’s teaching grammar was published without this case. The functionality of the Path was given using the Place Case and a postposition describing the Subject’s route relative to that Place.
Much later, when Suzette was suffering from the dementia that would eventually take her life, she released the Path Case to those working with Láadan, saying that she had “forgotten” it in publishing the second edition of her teaching grammar.
In retrospect, it seems clear that Suzette considered including a Path Case in Láadan when she was creating Láadan but decided this functionality did not require a separate case. When her cognition was in decline, she found her notes on the Path Case but had forgotten that she’d decided against including it.
As released in Suzette Haden Elgin’s later days, the Path Case phrase (identified by the suffix “–mu”) was usually followed by a locatory postposition clarifying the relation of the route to the noun phrase involved. The Path Case element would sometimes occur without the postposition; in this situation, it would be translated “by way of” or something similar.
The second generation working with Láadan have decided to honor Suzette’s sense that the Path Case functionality is amply serviced using the Place Case along with a postposition. We have also created a new postposition “ob” (by way of) to give the functionality of the Path Case without postposition.
Given this circumstance, we will not be using the Path Case in these lessons. Nevertheless, you may come across one of the very rare documents including the Path Case. It will benefit you to know what was intended, and you will be able to translate it as though it utilized the Place Case.
The examples below will present the Path Case version followed by the English and then the normative Place Case version.
The examples below using the normative Place Case will be voiced; those using the deprecated Path Case will not.
Bíi eril doth le ruleth wa.
I followed the cat .
Bíi eril doth le ruleth wa.
Bíi eril doth le ruleth olinedim wa.
I followed the cat to the forest.
Bíi eril doth le ruleth olinedim wa.
Bíi eril doth le ruleth beth lethode wa.
I followed the cat from my home.
Bíi eril doth le ruleth beth lethode wa.
Bíi eril doth le ruleth olinedim beth lethode wa.
I followed the cat to the forest from my home.
Bíi eril doth le ruleth olinedim beth lethode wa.
Bíi eril doth le ruleth wethemu wa.
I followed the cat by way of the road.
Bíi eril doth le ruleth wethesha ob wa.
Bíi eril doth le ruleth wethemu óobe wa.
I followed the cat along the road.
Bíi eril doth le ruleth wethesha óobe wa.
Bíi eril doth le ruleth olinedim wethemu wa.
I followed the cat to the forest by way of the road.
Bíi eril doth le ruleth olinedim wethesha ob wa.
Bíi eril doth le ruleth olinedimwethemu óobe wa.
I followed the cat to the forest along the road.
Bíi eril doth le ruleth olinedim wethesha óobe wa.
Bíi eril doth le ruleth beth lethode wethemu wa.
I followed the cat from my home by way of the road.
Bíi eril doth le ruleth beth lethode wethesha ob wa.
Bíi eril doth le ruleth beth lethode wethemu óobe wa.
I followed the cat from my home along the road.
Bíi eril doth le ruleth beth lethode wethesha óobe wa.
Bíi eril doth le ruleth olinedim beth lethode wethemu wa.
I followed the cat to the forest from my home by way of the road .
Bíi eril doth le ruleth olinedim beth lethode wethesha ob wa.
Bíi eril doth le ruleth olinedim beth lethode wethemu óobe wa.
I followed the cat to the forest from my home along the road.
Bíi eril doth le ruleth olinedim beth lethode wethesha óobe wa.
Báa aril wida Méri anath dememu ihé?
Will Mary carry the food in front of the window?
Báa aril wida Méri anath demesha ihé?
Báa aril wida Méri anath nudim bebáamu?
How (by what route) will Mary carry the food hither?
Báa aril wida Méri anath nudim bebáasha ob?