The Quirky Case of Quirky Case: Understanding Dative Subjects in Icelandic
| dc.contributor.author | Gordon, Caleb | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2024-03-17T03:43:41Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2024-03-17T03:43:41Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2024 | |
| dc.description.abstract | Grammatical case is a structural relation where a DP, the dependent, is marked for its grammatical relation to the head, the verb. One language which has contributed significantly to linguists’ understanding of case is Icelandic. Though most Icelandic subjects are marked using nominative case, so-called ‘quirky’ subjects are marked using a non-nominative case. Dative subjects have received significant attention in the literature. This project aims to provide an overview of the features of dative subjects in Icelandic and outline past analyses of these arguments, assessing their strengths and weaknesses from a Minimalist framework. Ultimately, I will outline several limitations of using θ-roles as a framework for analyzing quirky case and follow Wood (2015) and Wood and Sigurðsson (2014) (as well as Cuervo’s (2003) work on Spanish dative subjects) in arguing that dative subjects are best analyzed as applied arguments introduced in spec-Appl before moving to the subject position spec-TP, which explains their subject-like properties. I will argue for the importance of accounting for grammaticalization and historical processes in our models of syntax, using current and historical changes in Icelandic and its relatives. Finally, I will compare Icelandic with other languages with oblique subjects, contrasting it with languages in which subject case marking varies with tense, aspect, and/or volitivity and/or which may have a lower final position than spec-TP. | |
| dc.description.reviewstatus | Reviewed | |
| dc.description.scholarlevel | Undergraduate | |
| dc.description.sponsorship | Jamie Cassels Undergraduate Research Awards (JCURA) | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/1828/16194 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | University of Victoria | |
| dc.subject | syntax | |
| dc.subject | Icelandic | |
| dc.subject | quirky case | |
| dc.subject | applicatives | |
| dc.subject | dative case | |
| dc.title | The Quirky Case of Quirky Case: Understanding Dative Subjects in Icelandic | |
| dc.type | Poster |