Case-marking idiosyncrasy in subordination: the Japanese dative ni and beyond

This article examines Japanese idiosyncratic dative case markings, which cannot be accounted for by the semantics of verbs per se. We argue that the underlying mechanism is best described in terms of “blending of prefabricated forms in language production” (Barlow 2000), demonstrating that the relevant prefabricated structures provide a scaffold for the development of the use of dative ni in question. This study further explores some comparable non-canonical case markings observed in Korean subordinate clauses, suggesting that they can also be similarly characterized.