What, then, has been learned in this study about the universal principles of case assignment, and the parameters that characterize how languages vary in this domain? In order to summarize what I have said about these matters, I begin by bringing together the main factors that have been identified and putting them in quasi-sequential order – the order that they apply in within a syntactic derivation, as those are normally conceived within the generative paradigm. I do this as a way of reviewing the most important points of what has already been said, but also to add some value by arranging them in a somewhat different way. Indeed, a few new points arise concerning theoretical issues that become more evident when the pieces are put together in this way. I then close by emphasizing once more a recurring theme of this book: that the same factors shape how case assignment works across languages with a wide range of different alignment types. This testifies to the deep unity of human language, discernable underneath the surface diversity of case patterns.

The role of basic syntactic structure

First of all, syntactic structure is constructed in the usual way, with nominals (NPs or DPs) merged with verbs (V), verbal operators (v, Appl), and other argument-taking elements in ways that express their thematic relations.