Case is an introduction for students of linguistics to the ways
relations between words in sentences are marked in languages. It
describes the systems of suffixes familiar from languages like Latin and
also the roles of prepositions, postpositions and the use of the
pronominal elements on verbs. One of the most interesting features of
case is the recurrence of apparently idiosyncratic patterns and devices
in otherwise unrelated languages. This book picks out these recurring
strategies and explores their significance. It provides the background
against which the case marking of particular languages can be best
understood. Case contains in addition a useful discussion of the
theoretical problems in identifying cases and the basis for
distinguishing case relations from cases. A final chapter looks at the
origins and development of case marking devices.