The categories of case and article determination.

Case is the immanent morphological category of the noun manifested in the forms of noun declension and showing the relationships of the nounal referent to other objects and phenomena. This category is expressed in English by the opposition of the form in -'s, usually called the "possessive or genitive" case to the unfeatured form of the noun, usually called the common case.

The category of case is one of the vexed problems of English grammar. It was subject in many interpretations. The problem lies in the fact that morphological case is restricted in modern English to a limited group of nouns. Whereas in other languages like Russian and German case is attributed to all substantive lexemes.

Four special views advanced at various times by different scholars. The first view is called the “theory of positional cases”. In accord with this theory the unchangeable forms of the noun are differentiated as different cases by virtue of the functional positions occupied by the noun in the sentence. Thus, the English noun, on the analogy of classical Latin grammar would distinguish besides genitive case non-inflexional, i.e. positional cases: nominative, vocative, dative and accusative.

The second view may be called “theory of prepositional cases”. In accord with the prepositional theory, combinations of nouns with prepositions in certain object and attributive collocations should be understood as morphological case forms. To these belong first of all dative (to/for + N), and the genitive (of + n). these prepositions according to G. Curme, are “inflexional prepositions”, i.e. grammatical elements equivalent to case-forms.

The cardinal blunder of the two abovementioned views is that the substitute the functional characteristics of the part of a sentence for the morphological features of the noun as a word-class.

The third view of the English case recognizes a limited inflexional system of two cases in English, one of them featured and the other is unfeatured. This view may be called “limited case theory”. It differentiates the two case forms the possessive/genitive and the common.

Pr. Vorontsova believes, there are no case forms in English at all, her arguments as follows: the apostrophized feature “ ’s” can be used not only with separate nouns but with word-groups as well. E.g. somebody else’s daughter, the man who had hauled him out to dinner’s head.

Article is a determining unit of specific nature accompanying the noun in communicative collocation. Alongside with articles in this function possessive and demonstrative pronouns are commonly used but articles differ from demonstratives – they form a unity with the noun they attached to and so their determination is most unostentatious. Demonstratives on the opposite exercise their functions most explicitly.

Pr. Blokh distinguishes 2 levels of opposition within the category of determination. On the upper stage the definite article is opposed to the indefinite article and the meaningful absence of article. On the lower stage the indefinite article is opposed to the meaningful absence.

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The article is related to the morphology of the noun it is combined with. Common class nouns are used with both articles, abstract and material nouns which are traditionally used without article modification find themselves in occasional meanings combined with the definite or even the indefinite article.

The English article is closely connected with contextual meanings of nouns. Sometimes it can be used with proper nouns which are names of people.

The article is closely connected to the syntactic patterns of sentences and to the ways of presenting information. New information is commonly introduced with the indefinite article or no article whatever. This is the rheme of the sentence. Known facts are usually introduces with the definite article. This is the theme of the sentence.

Date: 2015-12-24; view: 1386