Abstract 1

ABSTRACT Genitive Case Marking in the Subject: Some Evidences from Assamese. Gahin Ch. Das. Email: [email protected]

Typologically, Assamese is a Nominative-Accusative SOV language and its prototypical subject takes the nominative marker. Verbs agree with the subject in person only. But in various expressions we find a different kind of NP in the subject slot which is in the genitive case. The verb may be either in the finite or nonfinite form and it does not agree with the subject. 1. mor

bhuk

1-SG-GEN

hunger

lagise feels

I am feeling hungry 2.

mor 1-SG-GEN

zor

uthise

fever

is-rising

I am coming down with fever 3.

mor

(tomaloi)

1-SG-GEN you

bhoe lage fear

feels

I feel scared (of you). This paper reports some evidences of Subject NP from Assamese which are in the genitive case and discusses its semantic, syntactic and behavioral properties in relation to its different predicate types.

Reference: 1. Goswami, G.C.

1983. “Structure of Assamese” Guwahati, Assam, Gauhati

Univ. 2. Kakati, Banikanta. 1941. “Assamese: Its Formation and Development” Guwahati, Assam, Lawyers’ Book Stall. 3. Nath, Diganta Kr. 2003. “Case in English and Assamese” . M. Phil. Dissertation, CIEFL, Hyderabad, India 4. Verma, Manindra K. (ed.) 1976. “The Notion of Subject in South Asian Languages”, South Asian Studies, University of Wiscons Publication Series. Madison. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------