(Definite) denotation and case in Romance. History and variation.

Recent minimalist approaches have reduced case to independent primitives (agreement, Tense) – but without any connection to its morphological expression. To solve this dichotomy, we consider the Latin -s case ending. Rejecting default treatments, we conclude that -s is associated with denotational, operator properties. These can be read as the set forming operator i.e. plural; as the inclusion operator, i.e. partitive, possessor, etc. (in a word ‘oblique’); or as the quantificational closure of EPP contexts (‘nominative’). These properties are preserved in the two-case declension of medieval Gallo-Romance, and in its residues in Romansh varieties. Thus so-called case is a denotational, ‘determiner-like’ element, with consequences for the classical historical correlation between loss of Latin case and development of the Romance determiner system.