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SUMMARY
This paper reports on the results of an investigation into the semantics of verbs and
idiomatic expressions that take non-nominative (quirky) subjects in Icelandic. It is
shown that subject case in Icelandic is semantically predictable to some degree. The
basic generalizations are as follows: Nominative subjects are thematically unrestric-
ted in that they can be Agents, Patients, Themes, Goals or Experiencers. By contrast,
quirky subjects are never Agents in Icelandic even if the term is understood in a broad
sense (including instruments, natural forces, causes, etc.). Moreover, an accusative
subject cannot be a Goal and some subclasses of Experiencer verbs never have
accusative subjects.
The paper also advances the hypothesis that lexical case on subjects in Icelandic
should be split into thematic case and idiosyncratic case (where dative Goals and Ex-
periencers are thematic but dative Themes and Patients and accusative subjects are
idiosyncratic). This distinction is supported by the fact that idiosyncratic case on sub-
jects is in the process of getting lost whereas thematic case is gaining ground, as wit-
nessed by the tendency of accusative Experiencer subjects to become dative (so-called
Dative Sickness) and quirky Patients and Themes to become nominative. A further
argument for this distinction comes from the ‘middle’ suffix -st. This suffix is com-
monly found on verbs whose dative subject is an Experiencer or Goal but never on
verbs with accusative subjects or dative subjects that are Patients orThemes. Thus, the
suffix -st is incompatible with idiosyncratic case on subjects and similar facts also
hold of idiomatic expressions.