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Re: Attached Verbs

From:David Bell <dbell@...>
Date:Wednesday, February 21, 2001, 1:37
> From: J Matthew Pearson > > Ed Heil wrote: > > > The only really weird thing is, I wouldn't expect that an ergative > > language would use the ergative/absolutive distinction with a > linking verb > > like "to be." It seems to me like that would only be with > actions. Maybe > > someone who knows more about ergativity can enlighten.. > > I know a bit about ergativity, and it seems weird to me too. In > my conlang Tokana, which is sort of ergative > (cf. the recent thread on active languages), the linking verb, > equivalent to "be" in English, takes two > absolutive arguments.
Yes, this appears unusual to me as well. In amman iar, a split ergative language, the S-function argument takes the absolutive case as would be expected in an ergative system, but the predicate nominal of a linking verb takes the comitative case and uses the linking verb 'atho' which literally means 'to attach, join, connect'. David is a man meldan adhanas athas meldan -0 adhan -as atho -as David :ABS man :COM connect :PRES David man with is connected David David E. Bell The Gray Wizard www.graywizard.net Wisdom begins in wonder!