Case and strength

Abstract

In the functional-typological literature two main functions of case-marking are distinguished. One motivation for case-marking is disambiguation, i.e. the need to distinguish between the arguments of a two- or three-place relation. Another widely attested function of case involves the expression or identification of specific semantic information. In this paper I will investigate the two functions of case marking to see where they converge and diverge with respect to the semantic features of arguments that are case-marked. I will focus on the ‘strength’ of the arguments in relation to their case-marking.