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Animacy in Sohlob

From:Benct Philip Jonsson <bpj@...>
Date:Sunday, October 24, 2004, 11:21
I have decided that agents in Sohlob /sQ'KQb_0/ are marked
differently depending on whether they are animate or inanimate.
More exactly animate agents are marked by the ergative while
inanimate agents are marked by the instrumental.  I've been
convinced that this is sensible since ergative languages have
a stronger sense of actors and patients than accusative ones it
makes sense that some things are considered inherently unable
of "acting".

But this means that I have to decide what is animate!  Just
humans (*if* the speakers are human, which I haven't decided)
and animals is too bland and too scientific for my taste.
Other candidate categories for animacy are:

-- Spirits and gods (naturally).
-- Heavenly bodies (these are gods to the speakers!)
-- Fire.
-- Water.
-- Weather phenomena.
-- Metals (the only more odd category that has suggested itself to me.)

Can anyone suggest more possibly animate categories, preferably with
explanation why they would be considered animate?

--

/BP 8^)
--
Benct Philip Jonsson -- melroch at melroch dot se

         Solitudinem faciunt pacem appellant!
                                             (Tacitus)

Reply

Jeffrey@Henning.com <jeffrey@...>[langdev] Animacy in Sohlob