Case on the margins
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Åshild Næss
Abstract
This paper examines the argument-marking system in the Polynesian language Vaeakau-Taumako, which has pragmatically related functions similar to those found e.g. in so-called Differential Object Marking systems, but which does not refer to syntactic relations or semantic roles, the functions normally attributed to case-marking systems. It asks exactly which functions should be taken to define a case-marking system as opposed to a system marking pragmatic functions such as topic-focus-structure, and suggests a distinction between two grammatically relevant types of pragmatic salience: referent-determined salience, which is often relevant to case marking, and speaker-determined salience, which is typically encoded in purely pragmatic marking systems. On this account, referent-determined salience emerges as the property that links case-marking and pragmatic marking systems.
Abstract
This paper examines the argument-marking system in the Polynesian language Vaeakau-Taumako, which has pragmatically related functions similar to those found e.g. in so-called Differential Object Marking systems, but which does not refer to syntactic relations or semantic roles, the functions normally attributed to case-marking systems. It asks exactly which functions should be taken to define a case-marking system as opposed to a system marking pragmatic functions such as topic-focus-structure, and suggests a distinction between two grammatically relevant types of pragmatic salience: referent-determined salience, which is often relevant to case marking, and speaker-determined salience, which is typically encoded in purely pragmatic marking systems. On this account, referent-determined salience emerges as the property that links case-marking and pragmatic marking systems.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction to case, animacy and semantic roles 1
- Remarks on the coding of Goal, Recipient and Vicinal Goal in European Uralic 29
- A case in search of an independent life 65
- The division of labour between synonymous locative cases and adpositions 113
- Is there a future for the Finnish comitative? 135
- Animacy and spatial cases 157
- There’s more than “more animate” 183
- The coding of spatial relations with human landmarks 209
- A survey of the origins of directional case suffixes in European Uralic 235
- Dutch spatial case 283
- Case on the margins 305
- Why should beneficiaries be subjects (or objects)? 329
- General index 349
- Language index 353
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction to case, animacy and semantic roles 1
- Remarks on the coding of Goal, Recipient and Vicinal Goal in European Uralic 29
- A case in search of an independent life 65
- The division of labour between synonymous locative cases and adpositions 113
- Is there a future for the Finnish comitative? 135
- Animacy and spatial cases 157
- There’s more than “more animate” 183
- The coding of spatial relations with human landmarks 209
- A survey of the origins of directional case suffixes in European Uralic 235
- Dutch spatial case 283
- Case on the margins 305
- Why should beneficiaries be subjects (or objects)? 329
- General index 349
- Language index 353
