Case grammar

Definition

Case grammar is a theory of syntax and semantics that emphasizes the roles that nouns and noun phrases play in sentences, specifically how they relate to the verb through various 'cases'. This concept connects the meaning of sentences with their grammatical structure, detailing how different cases like agent, patient, and experiencer contribute to overall sentence meaning.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Case grammar was developed by linguist Charles J. Fillmore in the 1960s as a way to analyze sentence structure in terms of semantic roles.
2. In case grammar, different grammatical cases correspond to specific thematic roles, helping to clarify who is doing what in a sentence.
3. The case roles can include elements like the agent (the doer of an action), patient (the receiver of an action), and instrument (the means by which an action is performed).
4. This framework highlights that understanding sentence meaning involves more than just knowing the words; it requires an understanding of how those words interact through their roles.
5. Case grammar has influenced various linguistic theories, including cognitive linguistics and discourse analysis, emphasizing the link between language use and meaning.

Review Questions

• How does case grammar help clarify the relationships between nouns and verbs in a sentence?
  • Case grammar clarifies relationships by assigning specific thematic roles to nouns based on their relationship to the verb. For example, it differentiates between the agent who performs an action and the patient who receives it. By identifying these roles, we can better understand who is doing what in a sentence, making sentence semantics clearer.
• In what ways does case grammar enhance our understanding of sentence meaning beyond traditional grammar?
  • Case grammar enhances understanding by focusing on semantic roles rather than just syntactic structure. While traditional grammar might look at sentence construction, case grammar looks at how entities relate within that construction, providing insight into the meaning conveyed. This approach allows for a richer analysis of language because it accounts for how different cases interact to form complete ideas.
• Evaluate how case grammar might influence modern linguistic theories and language processing models.
  • Case grammar has significant implications for modern linguistic theories and language processing models as it emphasizes the connection between syntax and semantics. Its focus on thematic roles informs computational linguistics, particularly in natural language processing where understanding meaning is crucial. As researchers develop more sophisticated models for machine understanding of language, incorporating insights from case grammar could improve algorithms’ ability to analyze and generate human-like sentences that respect both structure and meaning.

Related terms

Thematic roles: The functions that entities play in the context of an action or event described by a verb, such as agent, patient, and experiencer.

Syntactic structure: The arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language, influencing how meaning is conveyed.

Semantic roles: The relationship between a verb and its arguments, detailing what role each argument plays in the action or state expressed by the verb.