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Re: Lexicalising Ergativity

From:Jörg Rhiemeier <joerg_rhiemeier@...>
Date:Monday, June 21, 2004, 19:01
Hallo!

On Mon, 21 Jun 2004 10:45:53 +0100,
Peter Bleackley <Peter.Bleackley@...> wrote:

> Suppose a language has a split-S system, whereby there are two verb > classes, one of which takes an Erg/Abs argument structure, and one of which > takes a Nom/Acc argument structure. What are those classes likely to be?
Usually, it is active verbs (verbs denoting actions performed by the subject) that take the nom/acc marking (i.e., mark their subject like a transitive subject) and non-active verbs (verbs denoting states of the subject or events happening to it) that take erg/abs marking (i.e., mark their subject like a transitive object). Here are some examples from my conlang Old Albic, which works this way (I know too little of any split-S natlang to give a natlang example, I'm sorry): (1) O ndero obosca. M-AGT man-AGT AOR-flee-3SG:A `The man fled.' (2) Om nderom acara. M-OBJ man-OBJ AOR-sit-3SG:P `The man sat.' (3) O ndero ibretara am phath. M-AGT man-OBJ AOR-break-3SG:P-3SG:A I-OBJ knife-OBJ `The man broke the knife.' In (1), the subject takes the same case marking as the subject in (3) because it performs an action, while in (2), it takes the same case marking as the object in (3) because it does not perform an action. Some languages, however, go even beyond that. `Fluid-S' languages have verbs that can have either marking on the subject, depending on whether it is performing the action or not. Again, Old Albic may serve as an example: (4) Atto maro acvamsa. father-AGT 1SG-GEN-AGT AOR-come-3SG:A `My father came.' (5) Gratath thas acvama. letter-OBJ 2SG-GEN-OBJ AOR-come-3SG:P `Your letter came.' Here, the case marking (and the agreement marking on the verb) is different because the father travelled out of his own effort, while the letter was merely carried about by someone, the inanimate object it is. Abbreviations used above: 1SG first person singular 2SG second person singular 3SG third person singular A agent agreement AGT agentive case AOR aorist GEN genitive case I inanimate gender M masculine gender OBJ objective case P patient agreement Greetings, Jörg.

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Roger Mills <rfmilly@...>