Re: conjugating by object
| From: | John Cowan <jcowan@...> |
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| Date: | Monday, January 6, 2003, 5:06 |
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Pavel Iosad scripsit:
> What are Split-S and Fluid-S?
Let A be the marking a language uses for the agents of transitive verbs,
and let P be the marking a language uses for the patients of transitive
verbs.
Then languages can be classified by how they mark the subjects of intransitive
verbs:
Nominative-accusative languages mark them with A.
Ergative-absolutive languages mark them with P.
Split-S languages mark some verbs with A always, other verbs with P always.
Fluid-S languages mark verbs with either A or P, depending on the
circumstances (exactly which circumstances varies from language to language).
--
John Cowan http://www.ccil.org/~cowan jcowan@reutershealth.com
To say that Bilbo's breath was taken away is no description at all. There are
no words left to express his staggerment, since Men changed the language that
they learned of elves in the days when all the world was wonderful. --The Hobbit