Theories of Case

by Miriam Butt

Case, a system which marks the relationships between words in a sentence, is fundamental to every language. Looking at how different theories of syntax have accounted for the distribution of case across languages, this accessible 2006 textbook introduces the various approaches to case that have been proposed in modern linguistics. Clearly organised into topics, it provides beginning students with a solid understanding of the ideas behind the development of theories of case. For the more advanced reader, it presents theories that have been formulated about the interaction between case morphology, argument structure, grammatical relations and semantics, and offers a detailed cross-theoretical discussion of how these are motivated. Each chapter contains practical exercises, encouraging students to engage with the ideas discussed. Drawing on data from a wide range of languages and pooling together a variety of perspectives, Theories of Case is essential reading for all those studying this important area of linguistics.

274 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2006

Reviews

[Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

I recommend it if you want to get a general history of case within formal linguistics.
I also liked the chapters on ergativity and localist theories.

However, the book lacked other paradigms that discuss case, e.g., Cognitive linguistics treatments of case (and case prototypicality and polysemy), or treatments within construction grammar approaches. This is surprising, given that the title is so general that one would naturally expect more comprehensiveness.

Slightly problematic is that research dating from 1993 is called "recent literature" (in 2006!).

I did enjoy the quotes at the beginning of each chapter. They were funny and apt.