Re: Comments? Applicative and Noun Incorporation

> From: Elliott Lash
>
> David Peterson <DigitalScream@...> writes:
>
> >In a message dated 04/12/02 8:39:15 AM, AL260@AOL.COM writes:
> >
> ><< (oh, and it's split-ergative: nouns take ergative-absolutive
> >marking, pronouns take nominative-accusative marking). >>
> >
> >    !??!?!  What prompted this?
>
>
> Why not? Split-Ergative systems are fun!  Actually, what
> happened was I started out with a sentence using a Pronoun,
> which I didn't mark for any case, just put it in the regular
> order SVO. But then, for some unknown reason, while making
> sentences with Nouns in them, I marked them for a Subject
> case...and then the idea popped into my head that I could
> make it a Split-Ergative, with Nouns being marked and Pronouns not.
There are quite logical reasons for this kind of split.  amman iar also
has a similar split along an animacy continuum. In transitive
constructions, there is an information flow that involves two entities,
the A-function argument, and the P-function argument. Although in
principle either argument could be animate, in actual discourse there is
a strong tendency for the information flow from A-function to P-function
to correlate with an information flow from more to less animate.
Deviation from this pattern leads to a more marked constructions.

In amman iar a NP is considered higher in animacy if it is to the left
on the following continuum

1st person pronouns > 2nd person pronouns > demonstratives > 3rd person
pronouns > proper nouns > common nouns

Since it is most natural to mark a participant when it is in an
unaccustomed role, amman iar uses explicit case markings to indicate an
A-function argument of low animacy or a P-function argument of high
animacy. Thus unmarked nominals are represented by the prototypically
high animacy 1st and 2nd person pronouns in A-function using the
zero-morph nominative case and prototypically low animacy nouns in
P-function using the zero-morph absolutive case. Exceptions to these
prototypes are marked forms. Thus the accusative case (-in) is used to
mark low animacy 1st and 2nd person pronouns, 3rd person pronouns and
demonstratives in P-function and the ergative case (-e) is used to mark
high-animacy nouns, 3rd person pronouns and demonstratives in
A-function.

Stay curious,
David

David E. Bell
The Gray Wizard
www.graywizard.net
AIM: GraWzrd

"Wisdom begins in wonder."