SOAS Research Online

Abstract

This thesis is concerned with the syntactic relations between the noun-phrases and the main verb in Sinhalese sentences. The term 'Case' identifies these syntactic relations. The grammatical model which is utilized in this study is the case grammar proposed by Charles J. Fillmore, mainly in 'The Case for Case'. The Introduction outlines some general characteristics of the Sinhalese Language and specifies the particular stratum of language from which the data for the present study are abstracted. Chapter 2 presents a brief survey of the earlier approaches to the study of 'case'. At the end, it is proposed that a distinction between 'Case' and 'case-form' be maintained Chapter 5 describes the basic assumptions of Fillmore's case grammar. Chapter 4 starts with a discussion of the classification of verbs according to the number of arguments with which they occur and it describes the grammar of one-place verbs. Chapter 5 provides a grammatical description of two- place verbs and three-place verbs. Chapter 6 describes grammatical facts associated with a number of topics, namely: the Instrumental Case, the Locative, Source and Goal Cases. Extra-nuclear Locative and Time Cases are also described. Chapter 7 provides a grammatical description of causative sentences. These sentences are related to noncausative sentences by Causativization. Chapter 8 describes the grammar of non-volitional verbs. Chapter 9 analyses existential, locative and possessive constructions, and they are recognized as members of a single sentence type which can be identified as 'existential sentences'. The inalienable possessive constructions and the problems associated with the sentences containing nominal predicates are also described. Chapter 10 closes this grammatical description.