The Default Case in Czech

Abstract

Abstract This paper addresses the issue of a non-assigned case in Czech. This so-called default case can be found in many languages and its behavior seems to be largely determined by the type of the given language. English, being a poor case language, does not have many options for the default; it is basically the nominative or accusative that are somehow available. Czech, on the other hand, being a rich case language, offers a greater variety. The paper considers special environments where case is not assigned, such as those suggested by Schütze (2001) for English. From these, only the left-dislocation seems to be the right environment for the default case in Czech. Moreover, we consider post copular DPs, which show a competition of the nominative and the instrumental. The former proves to be the default option for Czech.