lack of casemarking in answers?

[Paolo Ramat]

lack of casemarking in answers?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 

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