Case-marking on NPs used as single-word answers

[Gideon Goldenberg]

Dear Fellow Typologists,
Case-marking of nominals that are single-word answers in Arabic
was discussed specifically among Arab philologists, though in
connexion with the syntactical analysis of the question-sentence
itself. Both possibilities have been accepted, viz. (1) nominative
(which is the case of predicates in verbless sentences) and (2) the
case employed in the question. Both possibilities are regarded
as equally legitimate, depending on the "assumption" or "supposition"
(Arabic taqdi:r) of the full answer of which the actual answer is
the one-word representative. Thus, e.g. (1) 'man ra'ayta? - Zaydun'
"whom did you see? - Zayd (nom.)" [on the taqdi:r of "(the one) whom
I saw (is) Zayd"]; (2) 'man ra'ayta? - Zaydan' "whom did you see? -
Zayd (accus.)" [on the taqdi:r of "I saw Zayd"]. Even if the question
is 'man alladhi ra'ayta?' "who is the one whom you saw?", each of the
answers is possible, viz. (1) 'Zaydun (nom.)' [on the taqdi:r of
"(the one) whom I saw (is) Zayd"], and (2) 'Zaydan (accus.)' [on the
taqdi:r of "I saw Zayd"], because in living usage answers do not
necessarily reflect the structure of the question. Accusative is in
Arabic the all-embracing case of tertiaries [in Jespersenian
terminology], adverbal as well as ad-adjectival, as the accusativus
graecus. Since Standard Written Arabic throughout the ages has
been a Kultursprache, and there was some interplay between the texts and
the grammatical conventions, the examination of textual evidence
against grammarians' assumptions is rather complicated.
					Yours,	Gideon Goldenberg.

>   ----- Original Message -----    From: Paolo Ramat. To:
>LINGTYP at LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG
>    Dear Niels, my answer is inserted into your query. I was glad meeting
>you in Amsterdam! Best, Paolo   prof.Paolo Ramat
>Università di Pavia
>Dipartimento di Linguistica  Teorica e Applicata
>tel. ##39 0382 984 484
>fax ##39 0382 984 487
>
>   ----- Original Message -----    From:    Smit, N.    To:
>LINGTYP at LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG       Sent: Friday, June 23, 2006 4:13
>PM   Subject: lack of casemarking in    answers?
>
>
>Does anyone know of languages that employ no or    default casemarking on
>NPs used as single-word answers, if the thematic    relation of the
>questioned constituent to the state-of-affairs can be    retrieved from
>the question itself? These would be cases like the following    (only then
>in languages with overt casemarking):
>
>
>
>Did you buy a bookPat? No, a    doll0
>
>
>
>Ital. behaves in the very same manner: Hai    comprato un libro? No, una
>bambola (with 0 marking as in Engl.,since Ital.    does not know case
>markers, but with obligatory DET before    N)
>
>
>
>I am primarily interested in arguments rather than    adjuncts. The little
>data I have is from German; it is very inconclusive but    seems to
>suggest that the casemarking used in the question should at all times
>be repeated on the answer. Dutch, a close relative, has no casemarking at
>all    on NPs but does require use of the properly inflected pronoun in
>case of a    single-word answer, which seems to point in the same
>direction.
>
>
>
>Even more interesting would be cases where both is    possible (i.e.
>omission and repetition of casemarking), and where the    distinction
>would have an identifiable influence on the answer's    interpretation.
>This situation seems to obtain for certain oblique NPs in    English
>(Where did you go to? - Switzerland    / to Switzerland
>
>
>
>The double possibility does not exist in    Ital.: Dove sei andato? In
>Svizzera /*Svizzera ); I would be    very interested to know if languages
>allow this for    non-obliques.
>
>
>
>I think you should consider Modern Greek, which    has case and gender
>marking like German.
>
>
>
>I would be most grateful for your information.    Thanks, best regards,
>
>
>
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>----------
>Niels    Smit                                   
>University of Amsterdam
>Amsterdam Center for Language and    Communication
>
>
>
>!!NEW    ADDRESS!!
>Faculty of    Humanities, dept. of Theoretical Linguistics
>Spuistraat 210, room 309
>1012 VT Amsterdam,    NL
>Tel:       +31 (0) 20 525 2191               
>Fax:    +31 (0) 84 225    4183
>Web:    http://home.medewerker.uva.nl/n.smit              
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