Re: Ergative + Accusative?

> From: FFlores
>
> I've heard several times that some languages (the example
> was Dyirbal) use a mixed system in which sentences with
> 1st and 2nd person subjects follow the ergative/absolutive
> system, while sentences with 3rd person subjects use
> nominative/accusative.
Actually, the reverse is true.  The speech act pronouns (1st and 2nd) in
Dyirbal follow a nom/acc paradigm while 3rd person pronouns and nouns follow
an erg/abs one.  This is driven by animacy considerations.  A related
language Yidiny exhibits a similar morphological split.  AFMCL, amman iar
morphological ergativity follows this animacy pattern as well.  I have an
extended discussion of the phenomena on my website at
www.graywizard.net/ergativity.htm#animacy

> Assuming this is true exactly like that, is it likely that
> the erg/abs sentences have an antipassive but no passive,
> while the reverse is true for nom/acc sentences? The
> mixed system looks already weird enough to me...
No, passives are somewhat rare in ergative languages.  Actually, the
morphological split noted above is orthogonal to the syntactic one in which
antipassives are required to meet certain ergative pivot constraints on
clause combination.  The former are driven by the animacy of the nominal
while the latter are driven by its syntactic relation to the verb
independent of case.

> In any case, is it likely that a system like this could
> lose case endings, case being distinguished by word order
> alone? In this scenario, I'm planning to keep the case
Why would you believe that to be so?

David

David. E. Bell
The Gray Wizard
dbell@graywizard.net
www.graywizard.net

"irvorisel in villissen ciroinarrion unastil
senil el findien vivas na elieth en errutharth limie"

"Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards
for they are subtle and quick to anger"
JRRT