What Is Propositional Case?
The propositional case is a theoretical or descriptive term sometimes used in linguistics to refer to case markings that signal a noun phrase's role as the subject or object of a proposition—particularly in contexts where case morphology encodes semantic or logical roles rather than purely syntactic ones.
While not a standard case category like nominative, accusative, or dative in most traditional grammars, the term may appear in discussions of languages with rich case systems (e.g., Finnish, Hungarian, Sanskrit) or in formal semantics.
Linguistic Context
In many languages, case markers indicate grammatical relations:
- Nominative: subject of a sentence
- Accusative: direct object
- Dative: indirect object or recipient
- Genitive: possession
The "propositional case" isn't universally recognized but may describe a case form used when a noun functions as the argument of a predicate in a logical proposition—especially in philosophical or computational linguistics.
Examples Across Languages
Finnish (illustrative):
"Tiedän [hänet]." → "I know [him/her]."
Here, hänet is in the accusative (total object), which some analyses might associate with propositional involvement.
Sanskrit (theoretical):
In certain Vedic constructions, specific case endings mark participants in abstract propositions, possibly aligning with what some scholars loosely call "propositional case."
Why It Matters
Understanding how languages encode propositional roles helps linguists:
- Model semantic-syntactic interfaces
- Develop better natural language processing systems
- Trace historical developments in case systems
- Compare typological features across language families
Further Reading
For deeper exploration, consider these resources:
- Comrie, B. (1989). Language Universals and Linguistic Typology
- Blake, B. J. (2001). Case (Cambridge Textbooks in Linguistics)
- Articles on "semantic case" in the journal Linguistic Inquiry