 Classical Ainu, the language of the "yukar", is polysynthetic, with incorporation of nouns and adverbs; this is greatly reduced in the modern colloquial language.Applicatives may be used in Ainu to place nouns in the dative, instrumental, comitative, locative, allative, or ablative roles.Besides freestanding nouns, these roles may be assigned to incorporated nouns, and such use of applicatives is in fact mandatory for incorporating oblique nouns.