locative (adj./n.) (loc, LOC)

In LANGUAGES which express GRAMMATICAL relationships by means of INFLECTIONS, this term refers to the FORM taken by a NOUN PHRASE (often a single noun or PRONOUN), when it typically expresses the idea of location of an entity or action. English does not have a locative CASE form (‘a locative’), using such PREPOSITIONS as at instead. Structures which express locational MEANING may also be referred to as locative, e.g. in The woman was standing at a bus stop, at a bus stop could be called a ‘locative PHRASE’. Some LINGUISTS see locative CONSTRUCTIONS as having particular importance in developing a LINGUISTIC theory, interpreting such notions as ‘being’, ‘having’, etc., as involving a fundamental locative feature. The term is also given special status in CASE grammar.