Re: inalienable possession

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

-----
See the original message at http://www.egroups.com/list/conlang/?start=18475