Re: CONLANG Digest - 21 Feb 2004 to 22 Feb 2004 (#2004-52)

In a message dated 2/23/2004 4:58:53 PM Eastern Standard Time,
jq_ithkuil@INREACH.COM writes:
Andreas Johansson wrote:

>>PS If I've got it right, all ergative languages are really split-ergative,
but
>>plenty of accusative languages have only the faintest traces of ergativity
>>(like the -ee suffix in English). If so, it would seem to suggest that
>>accusativity, for some reason, is the "default" for human language, yes?
------
>In _Ergativity_ (1994) Dixon disagrees with you here.  He states outright
>that there are many ergative languages which do not show any splits
>(although he doesn't appear to list any examples).  As I believe someone
>else noted, I don't think Basque utilizes any accusative patterning at all
>or any antipassive alternative patterning.
Dixon says (p. 14) "However -- and this is a most interesting and significant
fact -- no language has thus far been reported that is fully ergative, at
both morphological and syntactic levels."  So, although it may not be a question
of "splits," Dixon supports Andreas's point that no language is entirely
ergative.  Dixon lists Basque among "languages with some ergative morphology but an
entirely accusative syntax." (p. 175)

Doug