Re: Pronouns in Split Ergative systems

Chris wrote:

<<Are there any natural languages with
a split ergative system divided like this where the split also occurs in
the pronoun system, with pronouns referring to humans taking accusative
marking, and pronouns referring to non humans taking ergative marking?>>

Man, if someone has an answer to this, I want to read it.   I certainly
can't think of an off-hand...   The only split-ergative languages I know (of)
are split based on tense, not animacy.

Anyway, based on what you wrote, though, a few questions:

(1) Do pronouns take case marking in the same way as nouns?   Do they even
work the same way as nouns?   If not, maybe the problem you posed
wouldn't be relevant.

(2) If animacy was important in the pronouns, could there be two sets of
pronouns--one for humans, and one for non-humans?

(3) Is the human/non-human distinction apparent anywhere else in the
language?

Anyway, though, if you wanted, say, a "normal" language where the only
difference was case-marking, though, a dual pronoun system could evolve.
Say you've got the following pronouns:

1) ma
2) li
3) ze

(Those are all singular.)   Then you have the cases as follows:

Nom.: --
Acc.: -r
Abs.: -s
Erg.: -n

This'd only work if you have a marked absolutive.   Anyway, for
humans, you'd have:

Subjective:
1) ma
2) li
3) ze

Objective:
1) mar
2) lir
3) zer

But then with non-humans (and this gets tough: Can you have non-human
first persons?   Let's assume for the time being you can), you'd get:

Agentive:
1) man
2) lin
2) zen

Patientive:
1) mas
2) lis
3) zes

Then from there you can have sound changes which make all the pronouns
really different.

Anyway, what kind of system were you picturing?

-David
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"sunly eleSkarez ygralleryf ydZZixelje je ox2mejze."
"No eternal reward will forgive us now for wasting the dawn."

-Jim Morrison

http://dedalvs.free.fr/

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