Why are the nominative and accusative always identical for Latin neuters (and neuters in many other IE languages like Greek)?

Answer 1

That is a GREAT question! I can't answer for other languages, but I can answer for Latin. :)

In Latin, there is a rule called "The Neuter Law" which applies to all neuter declensions. The law states, "In the Neuter, the Nominative and Accusative must ALWAYS match, and in the plural they must end in 'A'."

This means that the Nominative and Accusative singular will match each other, and the Nominative and Accusative plural will match each other and end in "a". It is one of the ways that Neuter stands out. I like to think of it like the end of the song "The Farmer in the Dell." Instead of saying "the cheese stands alone" I say "the Neuter stands alone, the Neuter stands alone, hi ho the derry-o, the Neuter stands alone." :)

I hope this helps! Feel free to let me know if you have more questions.

Jordan A