摘要：It has been suggested in typological descriptions that there are three kinds of factors that condition the syntactic expression of core arguments (such as case marking of subjects): referential properties, the predicate or the whole clause. This paper outlines the system of differential subject marking in Estonian existential sentences and systematises the bulk of variables, their interplay and prominence relationships. It shows that in Estonian existential subject marking, all three conditions apply but they are not equally important. Also two additional factor types count: construction type (existential clause, characterised by topicality and inclusivity effects) and other pragmatic factors. The paper suggests that the dominant variables co-defining the Estonian existential subject case are the subject's divisibility-based referential properties, the referent's situational inclusivity determination and the use of a quantifier in the subject phrase. The paper proposes a new and simpler binary division conditioning the case of Estonian divisible subjects. It relies on the distinctive pragmatic implicatures arising from situational uses
