Editing Formative case (section)

==Grammatical status: case vs. adverb-forming suffix==
Some earlier analyses of the Hungarian case system, such as [[László Antal]]'s {{Lang|hu|A magyar esetrendszer|italic=yes}} (1961) did not consider the essive-formal to be a case, and disputed the status of the suffix {{Lang|hu|-ként}} in the [[declension]] system. One reason for this was that while Hungarian case suffixes are absolute word-final, {{Lang|hu|-ként}} permits further suffixation by the [[locative]] suffix {{Lang|hu|-i}}. However, this is not unique to the essive-formal; {{Lang|hu|-i}} can follow other case suffixes, for example {{lang|hu|-ban/-ben}} in {{lang|hu|nagybani}}, though it has become less common since the early 20th century (e.g. {{lang|hu|ágy(tól) és asztaltóli elválasztás}}). Another reason was that most Hungarian case endings participate in [[vowel harmony]], while {{Lang|hu|-ként}} does not, possibly due to its later development. 

However, the essive-formal case complies with the criterion for Hungarian cases set by modern descriptive grammars,<ref name=ekiss/><ref name=kiefer1/><ref name=kiefer2/><ref>Referred to as ''essivus,'' the same term as the one for the suffix of the [[essive-modal case]], ending in {{lang|hu|-ul/ül}}, though listed as a distinct item. Balogh, Judit. A névszóragozás (‘Declension’). In: Balogh et al., ''Magyar grammatika'' (‘Hungarian Grammar’), Műszaki Könyvkiadó, Piliscsév & Budapest, 2017 ({{ISBN|978 963 164 694 8}}), pp. 197 and 201.</ref> namely that it can appear as the argument of a verb, specified in its form, such as in {{Lang|hu|kezel (vmi)ként}} (’treat, handle as ...’), {{Lang|hu|viselkedik (vmi)ként}} (’behave as ...’), {{Lang|hu|végez (vmi)ként}} (’graduate as ...’), {{Lang|hu|elhelyezkedik (vmi)ként}} (’find employment as ...’) etc. Therefore, it is today considered as one of the 18 established and acknowledged cases in Hungarian, rather than being one of the adverb-forming suffixes, which do not comply with the criterion.