At 11:32 17/11/98 -0000, you wrote:
>Nik wrote :
>
>Christophe Grandsire wrote:
>> > It's near the same distinction that occurs between the ergative=
and
>> > the nominative: the ergative can be used only with animates, the=
nominative
>> > for unvolitional (very useful your word, Sally) animates and for every=
kind
>> > of inanimates.
>>
>> The ergative can be used with inanimates, it's just less common. "The
>> disease killed him", disease is inanimate, but it would be ergative, or
>> better yet "The rock crushed his head when it fell on him", rock would
>> be ergative, yet it's still ergative. It's just that ergative is
>> *usually* animate.
>> --
>
>I think Christophe was only speaking of the specific feature of his own new
language ;-)
>Mathias
>
Exactly!
>-----
>See the original message at=
http://www.egroups.com/list/conlang/?start=3D18475
>
>
Christophe Grandsire
|Sela Jemufan Atlinan C.G.
"R=E9sister ou servir"
homepage: http://www.bde.espci.fr/homepage/Christophe.Grandsire/index.html