Case Grammar Theory Theoretical Framework

Process O die E, O enjoy B, O acquire O, L move Action A,O kill A, E, O say A, B, O give A, O, L put Note : A= Agent Case O=object case E= Experiencer-case Os=object stative-case B=Benefactive case L=locative case In the vertical dimensions, verbs are classified as State, Process, or Actions verbs. State verb expresses a notionally stative situation, process verb expresses a dynamic non agentive event, and action verb expresses a dynamic agentive event. Verbs are next classified within a specific semantic domanin, i.e. Basic, Experiential, Benefactive, and Locative verbs. Basic verb uses only the Agent and Object Case. Experiential verb deals with the inner life of man and includes the experiential cases. Benefactive verb deals with the possession and transfer of property and includes the benefactive case. Locative verb deals with the locative and direction, and includes the locative case Cook, 1979 : 203. There are five propositional cases that are used in the model. They are Agent-case, Experiencer-case, Benefactive-case, Object-case, and Locative-case. These five cases have proven to be sufficient for the classification of the verb in literary texts. The Case Grammar Matrix model has been used for the verbs classification encountered in Ernest Hemingway The Old Man and Sea and assembles the verbs a Case Grammar dictionary Cook 1979: 128. According to Cook 1979: 203, a case system is not just a list of case. It is a paradigmatic set of opposition between contrasting semantic roles. Case frame, on the other hand is the syntagmatic arrangement in which case roles occur. The value of case system depends in large part upon the case tactic used to arrange case roles into case frame. Cook 1979: 83 states that in case grammar analysis, the analysis must begin with the surface structure of the language. However, if he wishes to perform a semantic analysis, then he must use only the surface structure of the language, but also his own intuitive judgment to lead him to the deep structure of the language. From surface structure analysis, he can discover the overt case-role, but his own intuitive judgment must lead him to the discovery of covert case-role. An overt case-role is a role, which presents both in surface structure and in deep structure. A covert case-role is the role which is absent from surface structure but present in the deep structure Cook, 1979: 83.

2.3.2 Case Frames

In the case grammar the underlying structure is expressed in terms of a case frame which list the cases required by the meaning of the verb. The case frame in the case grammar is written in the form +-X-Y-Z where the blank indicates the position of the verb and X,Y,Z are the arguments associated with the central predicate verbs should be classified according to their case frame and other features subject and object choice, preposition selection. Fillmore, 1979:10 The sentence consists of a verb and one or more noun phrase, each associated with the verb in a particular case relationship. The cases which surround the central verb are divided into those cases which are essential to the case frame and those which are not essential. Cases which related directly to the case frame are called propositional cases. Cases which are not part of the case frame are called modal cases. Verb has only one case frames other verbs may also have the same case frame since the number of cases is small and the number of verbs is large. Every case frame has at a least one case and no case frames has no more than three cases. Cook 1979 proposed three kinds of verb; state, process, and action verb and five propositional cases; agent, experiencer, benefactive, object, and locative. And the propositional cases may be defined as follows: Agent: the case required by an