Re: THEORY: unergative

 Nik Taylor <yonjuuni@...> wrote:
<<<<
My Uatakassi, which is ergative, uses the same verb for both "be
born" and "give birth".  The translation just depends on whether the
agent is mentioned.  Thus, _fasafitas tisista_ "The girl was born"
(past-born-he/she girl) and _fasafitas tipital tisistas_ "The woman gave
birth to the girl" (Past-born-he/she woman-erg girl).
>>>>
Your example is my favourite "test" to understand how the verbal system of a
language I learn works because "birth" involves two living beings with a
special relation (example with a genitive relator: my mother/my child), both
possibly considered as the "initiator" of the birth, one being the "creator"
and the other a "result" but without using any medium! :-))
Japanese bases that predicate on a "plain" transitive -u verb "umu"--"to
give birth" and a regular passive "umareru" to be born (no mediopassive
"umaru"!)
Indonesian uses a possessive verb: "ber-anak"--quite litterally: "to have a
child" (though it's a rude to say that of a woman)
French uses an "intransitive" mediopassive: "naître"--"to be born" and a
periphratic "donner naissance à"
English uses a passive/resultive state: "to be born" and a periphrastic "to
give birth."

There are plenty of other verbs that are processed in such different ways
depending on languages:

Verbs:
by oneself: run
within oneself: boil
activating one's functions: blink
same, with an expletive: say sth
same, with a pattern: speak
same, with one's state changing the state of sth else: burn
applied on oneself/part of oneself: wash (my hands)
appending stuff on oneself: wear sth
applying oneself on sth else: be planted, stick to
same, with a specific state: sit on
applying part of oneself on sth else: kick, press
same, changing sth else: cut
same, with entropic direction: eat
changing oneself : age
changing oneself with a specific result: split
apply oneself onto a reference: cover
same, with oneself becoming part of the reference: fill
now let's use an instrument, ...etc.

µ.
http://conlang.free.fr