Abstract
We introduce the central topics of this volume, case, word order and prominence (i.e., an element’s ranking on a hierarchy of semantic features) and we illustrate their interaction through discussion of an example of a ‘who-did-what-to-whom’-ambiguity in Dutch. In the second part of the chapter we provide an overview of the different chapters included in the volume. From the different contributions it becomes clear that in each of the languages discussed in this volume case, word order and prominence are essential cues for speaker and hearer.
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Notes
- 1.
A note on case morphology in Dutch. Morphological case distinctions are absent on Dutch nouns (beside certain fixed expressions). In the pronominal system one generally finds a distinction between a subject form (nominative) and a non-subject form (sometimes called the objective and glossed here as such). The latter form is a syncretism of the accusative and dative case and covers the functions of both the direct object and indirect object. For some pronouns such as u (2sg polite) a further syncretism is found between the nominative and objective case form resulting in a fully ambiguous morphological form.
- 2.
Another pressing issue is the interaction and relative importance of different prominence dimensions. Given that animates are more prominent than inanimates and that definites are more prominent than indefinites, how should indefinite animates be ranked with respect to definite inanimates? The interaction of prominence dimensions is taken up in the present volume in the chapters by Klein et al., Primus, Wang et al., Lamers and Kretzschmar et al. and is bound to remain a topic in future research.
- 3.
Although not a type of prominence information, sometimes the subject function is (confusingly) said to be more prominent than the object function.
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Lamers, M.J.A., de Swart, P. (2012). The Interaction of Case, Word Order and Prominence: Language Production and Comprehension in a Cross-linguistic Perspective. In: Lamers, M., de Swart, P. (eds) Case, Word Order and Prominence. Studies in Theoretical Psycholinguistics, vol 40. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-1463-2_1
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