(i.) Latin restricted the various Cases to more sharply defined uses
than either Greek or Sanskrit; the free use of the internal accusative
in Greek (e.g. [Greek: habron bainein tuphlos ta ôta]) is strange to
Latin, save in poetical imitations of Greek; and so is the freedom of
the Sanskrit instrumental, which often covers meanings expressed in
Latin by _cum_, _ab_, _inter_.
(ii.) The syncretism of the so-called ablative case, which combines
the uses of (a) the true ablative which ended in -_d_ (O. Lat.
_praidad_); (b) the instrumental sociative (plural forms like
_dominis_, the ending being that of Sans. _çivais_); and (c) the
locative (_noct-e_, "at night"; _itiner-e_, "on the road," with the
ending of Greek [Greek: elpid-i]). The so-called absolute construction
is mainly derived from the second of these, since it is regularly
attached fairly closely to the subject of the clause in which it
stands, and when accompanied by a passive participle most commonly
denotes an action performed by that subject. But the other two sources
cannot be altogether excluded (_orto sole_, "starting from sunrise";
_campo patente_, "on, in sight of, the open plain").