Re: Ergative

On Tue, 20 Oct 1998, JOEL MATTHEW PEARSON wrote:

> On Wed, 21 Oct 1998, R. Skrintha wrote, talking about Hindi:
[snip]
>
> > Similarly, in Tamil, too:
> >
> >   enakku itu  teriyum
> >   me-DAT this known
> >   "I know this"
>
Matt:
> This isn't exactly an ergative construction, but rather a (probably)
> related construction called the "experiencer dative".  Other languages
> that have experiencer dative subjects include German, Icelandic, Korean,
> Georgian, and my conlang Tokana (only the last two of which have ergative
> characteristics).  An example from Tokana:
>
>     Inai     Tsione    ionah     eiosok
>     the:Dat  John-Dat  know-the  answer
>     "John knows the answer"
>
> Or, with the object as preverbal topic:
>
>     Te       eiosok  ionana    Tsione
>     the:Abs  answer  know-the  John-Dat
>     "The answer is known to John"
>
> I'm interested to see that Tamil has the experiencer dative construction
> alongside Hindi.  Does Tamil also have split-ergativity?  (I seem to
> remember that the Dravidian languages are nominative/accusative, but
> I may be mistaken...)
>
> Matt.
>
Okay, so this clears up a question I asked you some time ago... I didn't
have the right term for it, only noting that what you did with Tokana
seemed similar to what the Old English do:  could the impersonal verb in
Old and Middle English fall into the category of "experiencer dative
construction"?  What is the history of this construction?

Me thinketh hit gedwolsum swa to donne...

To me seems it burdensome so to do...  (giving us our "methinks"
formula)... likewise with

        me reweth  (to me [it] pains/gives me sorry) ie. I pity
        me listeth (to me [it] pleases) i.e. I like
        etc.

Sally

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Sally Caves
scaves@frontiernet.net
http://www.frontiernet.net/~scaves/teonaht.html

Rin euab ouarjo vopy vytssema tohda uo zef:
ar al aippara brottwav; ad kemban aril yllefo
brotwav fenom; vybbrysan brotwav an; he ad
edirmerem brotwav kronom.

"A cat and a man are not all that different.
Both are on my bed; both lay their head on their
arm; both have mustaches; both purr when they
sleep."
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