Re: Unaccusative vs unergative ...

> The distinction between unaccusative and unergative verbs is structural.
The
> idea is this:  Transitive verbs have two structural positions or
relations,
> which we could call the "subject" position/relation and the "object"
> position/relation.  Unergative verbs are intransitives in which the single
> argument has the basic properties of a subject.  In cases where unergative
> verbs alternate with transitives, the subject of the unergative
corresponds
> to the subject of the transitive:
>
>   Transitive:  John ate the sushi.
>   Unergative:  John ate.
>
> Unaccusative verbs are intransitives in which the single argument has some
of
> the properties usually associated with the object position/relation.  In
> cases where unaccusative verbs alternate with transitives, the subject of
the
> unaccusative corresponds to the object of the transitive:
>
>   Transitive:  John sank the ship.
>   Unaccusative:  The ship sank.
[snip]
> Does that explain the difference adequately?  If not, I'll try again...
I suppose the 'unergative' is so called because it appears in accusative or
active languages only, and not in ergative ones?

...

Yeah, um, I read somewhere that your "John ate" is an example of the
antipassive, where (in English) the patient is marked by absence, and this
type of construction (high-prominence agent in agent's core case[1],
low-prominence patient in oblique case) wouldn't appear in ergative
languages.  [The ergative language would apparently have high-prominence
agent in patient's core case and the low-prominence patient in the oblique]

But, er, for 'the ship sank', for it to be unaccusative, I'd expect it to be
the other passive, I mean, (agent in the oblique, patient in the patient's
core case), which wouldn't be in accusative languages, but would in ergative
or active langs.  [Accusative langs like English would have agent in the
oblique, patient in agent's core case, like in 'the ship sank' example.]

Er, is that right or has my brain horrifyingly mangled another meme?


     *Muke!
[1] Since I have no idea what it would normally be called, pretend the
"agent's core case" is the normal case for an agent in a transitive sentence
(nominative, etc) and the same, mutatis, for patient's.
--
http://www.southern.edu/~alrivera/
Ha arkhan in ha dzaiwos zhoshirits rumalon k zhimon k.

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