obviative Definition
a grammatical feature found in some languages that marks a third-person noun phrase as less salient than another third-person noun phrase.
Using obviative: Examples
Take a moment to familiarize yourself with how "obviative" can be used in various situations through the following examples!
Example
In Algonquian languages, the obviative is used to distinguish between two third-person nouns in a sentence.
Example
The obviative pronoun in Ojibwe is 'wa'.
Example
Obviative marking is not present in English.
Summary: obviative in Brief
The term 'obviative' [ˈɑbvieɪtɪv] refers to a grammatical feature found in some languages that marks a third-person noun phrase as less salient than another third-person noun phrase. It is used in Algonquian languages to distinguish between two third-person nouns in a sentence, and the obviative pronoun in Ojibwe is 'wa'. Obviative marking is not present in English.
