ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses a hypothesis about the relation between type of case and the interpretation of object Noun Phrases (NPs). It examines two analyses that are based upon a relation between case and (in) definiteness in existential sentences, to wit Safir and Belletti. Belletti bases her general proposal about transitive verbs assigning either structural or inherent case on Finnish transitive verbs that alternate between accusative case assignment and partitive case assignment, and assumes that partitive case in Finnish is inherent. Case theory is supposed to be one of the subsystems of principles; others include bounding theory, government theory, theta theory, binding theory, and control theory. A basic assumption of case theory is that all languages are subject to a system of case assignment, though only some languages contain morphological reflections of it. A main area for which a link between case theory and in definiteness of NPs has been established from the start is constituted by existential sentences.
