Немаркированные падежи в именной группе и клаузе: дистрибуция и наброски анализа
Unmarked case forms in noun phrases and clauses: their distribution and sketches of analysis

Summary/Abstract: The paper presents a comparative analysis of unmarked case forms in Turkic languages (Altaic) and Nivkh (Paleoasiatic). In both Turkic and Nivkh, the positions of subjects, direct objects, and possessors allow for the absence of morphological case marking. The study investigates the conditions under which case marking may or must be omitted in these languages. An examination of the linguistic data reveals that the structural similarities among unmarked noun phrases are largely superficial. These phrases exhibit distinct characteristics in Turkic as opposed to Nivkh, particularly concerning the extent of nominal functional structure and their placement within the broader syntactic context. In Turkic languages, there is a strong correlation between the amount of structure present in noun phrases and the morphological marking they receive. Certain types of nominal modifiers require only marked forms of objects/possessors. Furthermore, morphologically case-marked noun phrases can take wide scope, whereas unmarked ones cannot. Conversely, none of these effects are observed in Nivkh. Based on these findings, the paper provides a preliminary analysis of the unmarked noun phrases within the framework of contemporary formal case theories. For Turkic, we propose a standard minimalist case assignment mechanism, wherein case values are obtained through agreement with functional heads. Meanwhile, the structural case in Nivkh can be better analyzed using Marantz's configurational approach.

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