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THEORY: "Quirky" Case -- "Quirky" Subjects and "Quirky" Objects

From:Tom Chappell <tomhchappell@...>
Date:Friday, July 29, 2005, 0:39
Hello the list.
A few other contributors on various threads have mentioned facts and ideas that
got me wondering about "Quirky" Case.

Two broad groups of "quirky" case are:

"Quirky" Subjects -- grammatical sentences in which the Subject is not in the case
usual for Subjects.
In an Accusative/Nominative language, for example, that would be Non-Nominative Subjects.
In some Accusative/Nominative languages, the Subject can sometimes be in the
Dative case (Dative Subjects) or in the Accusative case (Accusative Subjects).
In an Ergative/Absolutive language, Non-Ergative Subjects (of transitive
sentences) would be "quirky".

"Quirky" Objects -- grammatical sentences in which the Object is not in the case usual for Objects.
In an Accusative/Nominative language, that would be Non-Accusative Direct Objects
(if it is an Indirective/Directive language) or Non-Accusative Primary Objects
(if it is a Secundative/Primative language).
In some such languages, for example, their can be Nominative Direct Objects,
Dative Direct Objects, Genitive Direct Objects, or Instrumental Direct Objects.
I think, iirc, there can be Ablative Direct Objects as well.
In a Secundative/Primative Language I am not sure what name is used for the case
of Secondary Objects -- if it is not called Dative -- but I think a
"Secundative" Primary Object of a monotransitive, bivalent verb, would be an
example of a "Quirky" Object.
In an Ergative/Absolutive language, a Non-Absolutive Object would be "quirky".

QUESTIONS:
1a) How many, and what, cases can grammatically be given to the Subject?
1b) What language holds the record for most cases the Subject can have?  What is the record?
2a) How many, and what, cases can grammatically be given to the Object?
2b) What language holds the record for most cases the Object can have?  What is the record?

Thank you.

-----

Tom H.C. in MI

		
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David J. Peterson <dedalvs@...>