Case Marking Strategies in Subordinate Clauses in Pilbara Languages—Some Diachronic Speculations*

Abstract

This paper considers possible diachronic explanations for the range of case marking patterns found in subordinate clauses in languages of the Pilbara region of Western Australia. There are two parameters to consider in comparing patterns across the area. First, complements and adjuncts of verbs in dependent clauses may have patterns of case marking different from those of independent finite clauses. Second, nominal suffixes functioning as complementizing case may occur either just on the verb of the dependent clause or on all subconstituents of the dependent clause. Two possible paths of development for subordinate clauses are described. Some dependent clauses arise out of nominalizations through the instantiation of a nominalized verb's argument structure and in languages with a high degree of multiple case marking it follows naturally that in such clauses complementizing case would be distributed to all subconstituents. Other dependent clause types arise through changes in which main clause adjuncts of different kinds are reanalyzed as arguments of a nominalized verb. The recognition of these different sources explains a range of complex patterns of case marking choice in subordinate clauses and provides an account of the distribution of complementizing case in different construction types and in different languages.